Association between Chikungunya infection and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers

Abstract Objective: to analyze the association between previous Chikungunya infection and depressive symptoms among healthcare workers. Methods: a cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of healthcare workers in primary and medium-complexity care settings in a municipality in the state of Bahia, Brazil. We used the rapid test DPP-ZDC-IgM/IgG to identify recent (IgM) or previous (IgG) Chikungunya virus infection, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-PHQ-9 to assess depressive symptoms. We applied regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: 392 workers participated, 83.2% female. The frequency of Chikungunya virus infection was 8.9%. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 22.7%. In the adjusted analysis, Chikungunya infection was positively associated with depressive symptoms (PR=2.00; 95%CI: 1.29; 3.07). Stratified analyses indicated a stronger association among males (PR=7.57; 95%CI: 1.15; 50.06) compared with females (PR=1.68; 95%CI: 1.03; 2.74). Discussion: the findings support the hypothesis of a positive association between Chikungunya and depressive symptoms. Physiopathological mechanisms resulting from viral action, as well as emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial factors associated with the disease, may explain the findings. We reiterate the importance of providing mental health care to healthcare workers.