The Mental Health of Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the anxiety, depression, insomnia and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the assocaited sociodemographic, clinical and professional factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in healthhcare workers.

Method: A total of 509 participants joined an online survey to complete the data acquisition tools consisting of a Sociodemographic and Clinical Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder- Short Scale (PTSD-SS).

Results: The 509 participants of the study consisted of physicians (69.2%) and nurses (30.8%). On the basis of the scores above the cut-off points of the pscyhometric scales used, the mental symptoms of the participants were ranked as 54.2% on depression, 26.3% on anxiety, 20.8% on insomnia and 8.8% on PTSD. The corresponding scores of the 20-30 year old, the female and the nursing participants were significantly higher as compared to the others (p<0.001, for all). Significant differences were not found in these scores with respect to working or not working directly with COVID-19 patients, or having a family member with or without COVID-19 infection (p>0.05). Having a history of suspected COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with insomnia (p=0.026 and PTSD (p=0.008). Also, the anxiety and PTSD scores of the participants with a history of mental disorder diagnosis were significantly higher in comparison to the others (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The results indicated that females, nurses, participants in the 20-30 year age group and with a history of mental disorder diagnosis were in the high risk group for impaired mental health, irrespective of their professional positions. Close monitoring and early intervention are essential for these high-risk individuals.