# Physiological and Psychological Resilience Among Healthcare Workers in COVID–19 Units—The Protective Role of Religious Beliefs

## TL;DR

This study explores how religious beliefs may help healthcare workers cope with stress during the pandemic, using both physiological and psychological measures.

## Contribution

The study introduces the use of the Auditory Sustained Attention Test (ASAT) to detect stress-related dysregulation in healthcare workers, revealing its higher sensitivity compared to self-reports.

## Key findings

- Healthcare workers in COVID-19 units showed higher emotional and attentional dysregulation as measured by the ASAT.
- Healthcare workers with low religiosity had higher emotional and attentional dysregulation compared to those with high religiosity.
- The ASAT was more effective than self-reports in detecting stress-related changes in attention and emotion.

## Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic profoundly impacted global health, with disproportionate consequences for healthcare workers (HCWs). Religious beliefs and practices may improve psychological resilience by fostering community, providing purpose and giving meaning to hardships. Yet, how religiosity impacts HCWs during a time of crisis is unclear. We therefore performed a cross‐sectional study to investigate how religiosity contributes to resilience among HCWs who were routinely exposed to high levels of stress during the pandemic, through a physiological measure (the Auditory Sustained Attention Test; ASAT) and psychological self‐reports. Forty‐two HCWs were recruited from COVID‐19 units and 44 HCWs from general internal medicine units during June and July 2022. COVID‐19 HCWs showed significantly elevated emotional and attentional dysregulation with the ASAT, as measured by acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition, that was undetectable with self‐reports. Furthermore, after dividing the HCWs into a ‘high’ and ‘low’ religiosity group, those in the ‘low’ group showed higher emotional and attentional dysregulation with the ASAT. Findings suggest that the ASAT has greater sensitivity at detecting emotional and attentional dysregulations than self‐reports. Moderate or high religiosity may lead to better performance on the ASAT which could suggest greater resilience to mental health problems in the face of a crisis.