Depression and anxiety in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Healthcare staff have been at the centre of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, facing diverse work-related stressors. Building upon studies from various countries, we aimed to investigate (1) the prevalence of various work-related stressors among healthcare professionals in Germany specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the psychological effects of these stressors in terms of clinical symptoms, and (3) the healthcare professionals' help-seeking behaviour. To this end, N = 300 healthcare professionals completed an online survey including the ICD-10 Symptom Rating checklist (ISR), event-sampling questions on pandemic-related stressors and self-formulated questions on help-seeking behaviour. Participants were recruited between 22 May and 22 July 2020. Findings were analysed using t tests, regressions and comparisons to large clinical and non-clinical samples assessed before and during the pandemic. Results show that healthcare professionals were most affected by protective measures at their workplace and changes in work procedures. Psychological symptoms, particularly anxiety and depression, were significantly more severe than in a non-clinical pre-pandemic sample and in the general population during the pandemic. At the same time, most professionals indicated that they would not seek help for psychological concerns. These findings indicate that healthcare employers need to pay greater attention to the mental health of their staff.

Hospital Employees’ Well-Being Six Months after the COVID-19 Outbreak: Results from a Psychological Screening Program in Italy

“…In addition, hospital employees may have been reluctant to engage in a survey investigating their psychological well-being. It is known that healthcare professionals are often self-reliant and tend not to ask for help [ 23 , 51 ]. The hero narrative that was promoted in the media during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic could have reinforced this tendency.…”

“…Given the diffusivity and severity of COVID-19 infection, the literature is unanimous in suggesting that the psychological well-being of hospital workers during the pandemic should deserve a specific clinical attention. Healthcare workers are generally reluctant in seeking psychological support and might find it hard to recognize their own psychological distress [ 22 , 23 ]. For this reason, it is essential for healthcare organizations engaged in the fight against COVID-19 to plan proactive interventions in supporting the psychological well-being of their employees [ 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

The global prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and, insomnia and its changes among health professionals during COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Based on the availability of data, all the studies were further classified into three three-month groups: January 2020 to March 2020, April 2020 to June 2020, July 2020 to September 2020. However, 13 studies [34,35,37,38,39,41,44,51,52,56,69,86,92] out of the 83 were not classified into any of those groups due to inconvenient study duration. Finally, 70 studies were included in the subgroup analysis based on study duration.…”

Provider and staff crisis well‐being associated with trust in leadership and baseline burnout

“…While we do not know if they were using outside resources, health care professionals in general are unlikely to seek help for their emotional health 36,55,56 . There are many barriers to HCWs seeking help including worries that others might need help more, they are not distressed enough, not having the time, or the stigma associated with seeking help 55 . Our data further support the need to adjust the mental health culture in medicine.…”

“…Better understanding of their needs through repeated assessment of staff's emotional health and wellness would allow for modification of resources and enhanced communication of information to better connect, engage, and assist staff 54 . While we do not know if they were using outside resources, health care professionals in general are unlikely to seek help for their emotional health 36,55,56 . There are many barriers to HCWs seeking help including worries that others might need help more, they are not distressed enough, not having the time, or the stigma associated with seeking help 55 .…”