Psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers: cross-sectional analyses from 14 countries

Abstract

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) have been impacted psychologically due to their professional responsibilities over the prolonged era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to identify the predictors of psychological distress, fear, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic among HCWs. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among self-identified HCWs across 14 countries (12 from Asia and two from Africa). The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess the psychological distress, fear, and coping of HCWs, respectively. Results A total of 2447 HCWs participated; 36% were doctors, and 42% were nurses, with a mean age of 36 (±12) years, and 70% were females. Moderate to very-high psychological distress was prevalent in 67% of the HCWs; the lowest rate was reported in the United Arab Emirates (1%) and the highest in Indonesia (16%). The prevalence of high levels of fear was 20%; the lowest rate was reported in Libya (9%) and the highest in Egypt (32%). The prevalence of medium-to-high resilient coping was 63%; the lowest rate was reported in Libya (28%) and the highest in Syria (76%). Conclusion COVID-19 has augmented the psychological distress among HCWs. Factors identified in this study should be considered in managing the wellbeing of HCWs, who had been serving as the frontline drivers in managing the crisis successfully across all participating countries. Furthermore, interventions to address their psychological distress should be considered.

Palestinian Healthcare Workers Mental Health Challenges during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Our results indicate that the overwhelming majority of the sampled HCWs were experiencing significantly elevated depressive and anxious symptoms. These findings are in line with similar studies conducted across different countries, wherein HCW in China 10,18 , Spain 4 , India 7 , and other locations 5,15 have reported elevated psychological distress following the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, our results further elaborate on Maraqa, Nazzal and Zink's 12 findings of elevated distress among Palestinian HCW and locate some facets of the manifestations of this distress as depressive and anxious symptoms thereby offering insight into the forms of targeted interventions needed.…”

“…While more than 100 countries went on lockdown for its general population 3 , healthcare workers (HCW) were among the few groups that continued to work amidst the mayhem. Indeed, HCWs had a higher likelihood of becoming infected given their increased exposure to the virus 5 , and while many individuals tried to recognize and show gratitude to HCWs during the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, the psychological toll of facing this novel illness has been tangible amongst this population group 1,5,7,10 .…”

“…For example, in their sample of 1257 HCWs across 34 hospitals in China, Lai and coworkers 10 found that half of their participants reported symptoms of depression and anxiety and 34% suffered from insomnia. In a sample of 2447 HCWs from 12 countries, 67% of HCWs reported moderate to very high psychological distress 5 .…”

COVID-19 aus Sicht der Gastroenterologie

“…Eine Studie mit 2447 ärztlichen und pflegerischen Mitarbeitern im Gesundheitswesen aus 14 Ländern belegt eine hohe psychische Belastung im Zuge der Pandemie. Von den Befragten gaben 67 % ein moderates oder hohes Level an psychologischem Stress an [ 11 ]. Eine Studie aus Singapur belegt eine Zunahme der Prävalenz depressiver Veränderungen, Stress und Angst bei Mitarbeitern in Notaufnahmen mit zunehmender Dauer der Pandemie [ 39 ].…”

“…Risikofaktoren für einen schweren COVID- 19 VondenBefragtengaben67 %einmoderates oder hohes Level an psychologischem Stress an [11]. Eine Studie aus Singapur belegt eine Zunahme der Prävalenz depressiver Veränderungen, Stress und Angst bei Mitarbeitern in Notaufnahmen mit zunehmender Dauer der Pandemie [39].…”