Is job seniority a protective factor against anxiety among midwives during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?

Introduction: Introduction. The pandemic SARS-Cov-2 outbreak necessitated the implementation of changes in everyday obstetric attendance, which demands continuity of care. Employment of sudden changes in obstetric attendance could have increased anxiety among medical personnel.

Objective: The aim of the Communication was to analyse the influence of professional experience on the level of anxiety in a group of midwives during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Material And Methods: The analysis included 100 midwives: average professional experience: 11.51 years (max. 36; median 7,5; SD: 10.37; p<0.0001). The largest group of respondents was employed in a tertiary referral hospital (n = 40), the smallest in a medical clinic (n = 7). A preliminary study using an online questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7), posted on Internet fora, Facebook fan pages of The Childbirth with Dignity Foundation, and the Foundation for Midwives, using the Snowball sampling method. The Ethics Committee for Research Projects at the Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, approved the research project (Approval No. 35/2020).

Results: The average score was 9.390 (max. 21, median 8.5; SD; 5.228). The length of professional experience did not correspond to the level of anxiety (r = -0.0097; p = 0.9237). In 20 respondents, no anxiety was traced, while the smallest group indicated severe anxiety (n = 15). Professional experience did not influence the level of anxiety in either group with different level of anxiety (ANOVA test; p = 0.465). .

Conclusions: Professional experience did not influence the level of anxiety. In order to prevent exacerbation of anxiety symptoms, different factors which may playa vital role in enhancing the level of anxiety must be analysed.