Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan

Hayat, Khezar; Arshed, Muhammad Javed; Fiaz, Iqra; Afreen, Urooj; Khan, Faiz Ullah; Khan, Tahir Abbas; Kadirhaz, Muhtar; Shukar, Sundus; Saeed, Azwa; Gill, Muhammad Rouf; Fang, Yu

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.603602

Cited by 29 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Recent reports from 2020 show that mental health amongst physicians and frontline workers has been affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic (7,8). Despite the risk of infection and death, HCWs have been at the frontline in the global fight against the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide in Healthcare Workers: Determinants, Challenges, and the Impact of COVID-19

et al. 2022

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The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), which first appeared in Wuhan, China, and was later declared a pandemic, has caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Numerous efforts have been made worldwide to understand the disease's physical manifestation. However, less emphasis has been placed on the pandemic's mental health challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs) who played a critical role in fighting the disease. Existing literature shows the detrimental psychological impact and increased incidence of depression and anxiety among HCWs. It is expected that the mental health crisis will become a serious issue affecting HCWs, with long-term negative consequences following COVID. Physicians and nurses already represent the highest risk groups of suicide among the general population, and suicide can be regarded as an occupational hazard in the healthcare industry. Increased workload, burnout and fatigue, multifaceted challenges women HCWs, and increased substance abuse are contributing factors to suicide ideation. In this article, we identify the risk factors of suicide among HCWs, discuss mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic and its impact on suicide ideation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide in Healthcare Workers: Determinants, Challenges, and the Impact of COVID-19

et al. 2022

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“…Since the pandemic onset, mental health has been seriously affected [ 2 , 3 ] due to the fear of contagion, social isolation, and lockdown measures [ 4 ]. In particular, home confinement and quarantine have led to prolonged separation from relatives and loved ones [ 5 , 6 ], contributing to increasing the levels of distress not only for people with pre-existing mental disorders, but also for those affected by COVID-19, healthcare professionals, and the general population as a whole [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Furthermore, the SARS-CoV-2 also presents neurotropism and may thus directly trigger possible neuropsychiatric manifestations [ 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to Mental Health Care during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET Multicentric Study

et al. 2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented public health emergency, with consequences at the political, social, and economic levels. Mental health services have been called to play a key role in facing the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of the general population. In the period March–May 2020, an online survey was implemented as part of the Covid Mental Health Trial (COMET), a multicentric collaborative study carried out in Italy, one of the Western countries most severely hit by the pandemic. The present study aims to investigate the use of mental health resources during the first wave of the pandemic. The final sample consisted of 20,712 participants, mainly females (N = 14,712, 71%) with a mean age of 40.4 ± 14.3 years. Access to mental health services was reported in 7.7% of cases. Among those referred to mental health services, in 93.9% of cases (N = 1503 subjects) a psychological assessment was requested and in 15.7% of cases (N = 252) a psychiatric consultation. People reporting higher levels of perceived loneliness (OR 1.079, 95% CI 1.056–1.101, p < 0.001), practicing smart-working (OR 1.122, 95% CI 0.980–1.285, p = 0.095), using avoidant (OR 1.586, 95% CI 1.458–1.725, p < 0.001) and approach (OR 1.215, 95% CI 1.138–1.299, p < 0.001) coping strategies more frequently accessed mental health services. On the other hand, having higher levels of perceived social support (OR 0.833, 95% CI 0.795–0.873, p < 0.001) was associated with a reduced probability to access mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a new threat to the mental health and well-being of the general population, therefore specific strategies should be implemented to promote access to mental healthcare during the pandemic and afterwards.

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“…As stated earlier, previous work has only focused on the medical staff, students, and teachers for identifying depression and anxiety. Using previous work as a reference, a plethora of researchers has been documented in the literature ( 15 , 47 , 70 , 72 , 73 ) identifying a significant difference among gender. Their findings concluded that females are most likely to suffer from depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental Health Survey of Social Entrepreneurs During COVID-19: A Study From Pakistan

Hussain

2022

Front. Psychiatry

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BackgroundCOVID-19 is widely considered one of the worst pandemics in history, resulting in worldwide lockdowns, social isolation, unemployment, and economic recession. With the prolongation of COVID-19, numerous people experience stress, depression, and other mental health challenges. Recently, several studies have been documented in the literature on mental health issues among students (related to medical or other fields), teachers, medical personnel, and nurses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, social entrepreneurs (SEs) have received insufficient attention. This study aims to conduct an online survey in Pakistan's five major cities to investigate more about the mental health status of social entrepreneurs.Materials and MethodsAn online survey which included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) was employed to collect data. The data analyses were carried out employing descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and multiple regression analyses.ResultsA total of 840 social entrepreneurs from Pakistan participated in the survey. Among these, 366 (43.6%) were female and 474 (56.4%) were male. The findings revealed that 709 (84%) social entrepreneurs were suffering from depression symptoms, and 600 (80%) were suffering from anxiety symptoms. The majority of social entrepreneurs with depression (N = 546) and anxiety (N = 567) had mild and moderate stages. In addition, optional open-ended questions were asked from SE participants that help to understand their perception and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionThe study concluded that several SEs in major cities of Pakistan were experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms. Based on data analysis, male SEs were highly suffering from depression and anxiety than female SEs. Limited resources and changes in customers' behavior were one of the major problems that lead SEs to depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 epidemic. In addition, SEs revealed that the lack of a social business execution policy is the most distressing factor for them. Therefore, a local government must take rigorous precautionary measures to prevent mental health issues among social entrepreneurs. Moreover, the Government of Pakistan needs to adopt supportive policies to assist social entrepreneurs in stressful circumstances.

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Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan

Cited by 29 publications

References 39 publications

Suicide in Healthcare Workers: Determinants, Challenges, and the Impact of COVID-19

Suicide in Healthcare Workers: Determinants, Challenges, and the Impact of COVID-19

Access to Mental Health Care during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET Multicentric Study

Mental Health Survey of Social Entrepreneurs During COVID-19: A Study From Pakistan

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