A Comparative Study on the Psychological Health of Frontline Health Workers in Wuhan Under and After the Lockdown

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and a 3-month lockdown of Wuhan may have had a long-term impact on the mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HWs). However, there is still a lack of comparative studies on the mental health of front-line HWs in the initial phase of the lockdown and 1 month after the lifting of the lockdown.Methods: We recruited 1717 HWs during the initial phase of the lockdown and 2214 HWs 1 month after the lifting of the lockdown, and their baseline characteristics and psychiatric health in these two phases were compared. Furthermore, Pearson's Chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to determine the possible risk factors associated with depressive symptoms in the front-line HWs.Results: Compared with the initial phase of the lockdown, the proportion of HWs with anxiety symptoms and stress decreased, while the proportion of HWs with depressive symptoms increased a month after the lifting of the lockdown. Male sex, exercise habit, comorbidities, and having family members or relatives with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection were significantly related to the increased incidence of depressive symptoms during the initial phase of the lockdown. Comorbidities, negative effect of media coverage, working >4 days a week, lower annual household income, and deteriorating relationships with family members were associated with depressive symptoms a month after the lifting of the lockdown.Conclusion: The increased proportion of HWs with depressive symptoms 1 month after the lifting of the lockdown suggested that mental health of front-line HWs should be a top-priority issue, not only during, but also after the pandemic.

Mental health survey among front-line medical workers after 2 years of supporting COVID-19 efforts in Hubei Province

“…Similar results have been found in the general population of Nigeria during the COVID-19 lockdown [ 43 ]. This finding contrasted with other results showing differences in lower annual household income, family members or relatives with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, comorbidity, deteriorating relationships with family members [ 34 ], age (31–40 year group), educational background, and appraisal of the threat of infection by the virus [ 44 ]. We also analyzed several key influencing factors and found that smoking, drinking alcohol, exercising, and being satisfied with welfare all substantially influenced mental status.…”

“…Previous studies have suggested that medical workers are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems even during times of a relative epidemic decline [ 40 , 41 ]. Other results have suggested that stress and fatigue among front-line health workers may be associated with the risk of adverse mental health outcomes [ 14 , 26 , 34 ]. Our results are largely consistent with those of other studies, which have reported that, during major public health emergencies, medical staff face a risk of experiencing serious mental health consequences due to high-intensity fatigue.…”

“…We also analyzed several key influencing factors and found that smoking, drinking alcohol, exercising, and being satisfied with welfare all substantially influenced mental status. Study findings have revealed that exercise was associated with depressive symptoms in the initial phase of the lockdown, thus indicating that exercise may protect against stress-induced depression, but severe stress may negate this benefit [ 34 ]. The dissatisfaction with welfare among participants might have been because the government or hospital did not hire them as permanent employees, i.e., those with long-term, stable jobs, and equal pay for equal work by other permanent employees.…”

A Multi-Center Study on the Negative Psychological Impact and Associated Factors in Chinese Healthcare Workers 1 Year After the COVID-19 Initial Outbreak

“…Our findings are consistent with previous studies performed during the pandemic reporting high rates of mental health problems among HCWs [ 39 ]. However, our study’s prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was lower than those obtained in a Chinese study during the critical pandemic period that showed 37.8% of depression, 43.0% of anxiety, and 38.5% of stress among HCWs from different provinces [ 40 ].…”

Post-traumatic stress in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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