Somatic Symptom Disorders of Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Introduction. Occupational stress leads health workers to somatic symptom disorders. Purpose. To identify somatic symptom disorders of healthcare workers. Methods and materials. The study involved a sample of 648 medical workers, who took part in the assessment on a voluntary basis. The authors used Apanasenko's method for assessing somatic health level and the Aleksandrovich symptomatic questionnaire modified by the V. M. Bekhterev National Research Medical Center for Psychiatry and Neurology, according to which somatic symptom disorders are part of the neurotic disorder. The Pearson correlation coefficient and the Chaddock scale were used for assessing and tracking somatic symptom disorders. Results. The following somatic symptom disorders among healthcare workers were identified: above-average level of allergic ailments, breathing difficulties, general discomfort in unpleasant situations, loss of appetite, sensation of blood rushing to the head, redness of the face, neck, chest, hunger attacks, tightness, excessive saliva accumulation, dry mouth, excessive thirst, lump in the throat and muscle tension; moderate level of heart pain, headache interfering with daily activities, dizziness, slight decrease in lung capacity, nervous sweating, sensitivity to noise, light or touch, increased systolic blood pressure, prolonged heart rate recovery time, somatization complaints, reduced grip strength, bodyweight gain, increased heart rate, rapid heartbeat with no activity, head rush, and tinnitus.