The Psychological Status of Healthcare Workers of a COVID-19- Free Cancer Hospital during COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey - A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Identifying the psychosocial effects on healthcare workers is critical in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: In this study, we aimed to examine the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers of a cancer hospital in Turkey and to determine its predictors. Methods: The psychosocial effects of the epidemic on hospital staff were evaluated by a psychiatrist through a face-to-face psychiatric interview. A semi-structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic variables and questions about social changes, and Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) were administered to the hospital staff that agreed to participate in the study. Results: Twenty-three percent of the subjects had threshold values for the Global Severity Index in SCL-90-R. The most common symptoms were obsessions and depressive symptoms (42% and 36.5%, respectively). Being young, being a woman, being single, worsening economic situation, high education level, history of past psychiatric disorders, isolation and/or quarantine history, lack of personal protective equipment, separation from the family, fear of infecting a family member or cancer patient were determined as risk factors. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant psychosocial impact on healthcare workers, highlighting the need for appropriate strategies to understand and mitigate these effects.