The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers

Abstract

BackgroundAs unprecedented and prolonged crisis, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of developing psychological disorders. We investigated the psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs.MethodsThis cross-sectional study randomly recruited 439 HCWs in Hunan Cancer Hospital via a web-based sampling method from June 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022. Anxiety and depression levels were measured using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was used to assess the presence and severity of PTSD. Fear was measured by modified scale of SARS. Data were collected based on these questionnaires. Differences in fear, anxiety, depression and PTSD among HCWs with different clinical characteristics were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance. The Cronbach's alpha scores in our samples were calculated to evaluate the internal consistency of HADS, fear scale and PCL-5.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety, depression, and PTSD in HCWs was 15.7, 9.6, and 12.8%, respectively. Females and nurses were with higher fear level (P < 0.05) and higher PTSD levels (P < 0.05). Further analysis of female HCWs revealed that PTSD levels in the 35–59 years-old age group were higher than that in other groups; while married female HCWs were with increased fear than single HCWs. The internal consistency was good, with Cronbach's α = 0.88, 0.80 and 0.84 for HADS, fear scale, and PCL, respectively.ConclusionGender, marital status, and age are related to different level of psychological disorders in HCWs. Clinical supportive care should be implemented for specific group of HCWs.

Prevalence and associated factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 at a tertiary hospital in Shenzhen, China: A cross-sectional study

“…The prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms for healthcare workers in the post-pandemic era were generally comparable to those observed in previous studies during the COVID-19 pandemic era, but different from the prevalence before the pandemic. In this study, we found that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 34.7%, which was nearly in line with that reported by Deng et al in a meta-analysis (72) (31%) and Tong et al (7) (37%) among healthcare workers in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Compared to Lai et al's study (5) (50.4%) among healthcare workers at the peak of the pandemic in China, our study found a lower prevalence in the post-pandemic era, which may be because of the potential decreased fear and uncertainty from a better understanding of the COVID-19 and some appropriate interventions taken to relieve depressive symptoms during the pandemic.…”

“…Facing the unprecedented situation, healthcare workers have made great efforts to provide medical treatment and care to control the epidemic quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic and faced excessive workloads and psychological pressure, thereby having a large proportion of psychological problems. Compared to other occupational groups, they were particularly vulnerable to psychological problems ( 5 – 7 ) and more than one-third of healthcare workers experienced anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic globally ( 8 ) and in China ( 9 ).…”

Postpandemic fear of COVID‐19, psychological distress, and resilient coping among frontline health workers in Ghana: An analytical cross‐sectional study

“…Secondly, to determine the prevalence of psychological distress, we further dichotomized the KPDS into no distress and mild-to-severe distress, using a cut-off total KPDS score of < 20 and ≥ 20, respectively. 30 We also computed the prevalence of mild-toextreme fear of COVID-19 by dichotomizing scores into no fear (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) and mild-to-extreme fear (22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35). Third, multiple linear regression was performed with psychological distress as outcome and fear of COVID-19 as predictor while adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.…”

“…Health professionals experienced increased workload and were required to work overtime, adhere to dynamic infection prevention policies, and deal with constant exposure to traumatic situations 6 . Previous studies have shown that the demands of the pandemic resulted in poor psychological outcomes among health professionals including increased psychological distress, burnout, depressive symptoms, anxiety, occupational stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder 7–9 . For instance, a multicenter study in Ghana reported that 21.1% and 27.8% of frontline healthcare professionals had experienced depression and anxiety respectively, 5 months into the pandemic 10 .…”

“… 6 Previous studies have shown that the demands of the pandemic resulted in poor psychological outcomes among health professionals including increased psychological distress, burnout, depressive symptoms, anxiety, occupational stress, and posttraumatic stress disorder. 7 , 8 , 9 For instance, a multicenter study in Ghana reported that 21.1% and 27.8% of frontline healthcare professionals had experienced depression and anxiety respectively, 5 months into the pandemic. 10 A similar study conducted around the same time in a regional hospital in Ghana also showed a 71.1% prevalence rate of anxiety among health‐care professionals.…”