Effect of perceived risk, challenges, and coping on anxiety and depression among frontline health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic the health care workers (HCWs) encountered one of the heaviest blows by saving lives while endangering their own. This study was carried out to investigate risk exposures, risk perceptions, challenges, and coping strategies, leading to anxiety and depression, among HCWs in Bangladesh. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to July 2021 among 1,112 frontline HCWs. Data were collected using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire including Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. A coping scale for COVID-19 (CS-COV-19) was developed and validated. To determine the predictors for symptoms of depression and anxiety, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and the associations between key variables are presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results: A total of 54.9% (n=389) doctors and 51.4% (n= 207) nurses were found to have mild to severe anxiety status and 47% (n=333) doctors and 39.9% (n= 159) nurses were found to have mild to severe depression. HCWs, family members, neighbors had been affected with COVID-19 and those who experienced extra stresses at work were two times more likely to have anxiety. HCWs who had worried family and friends that they might get infected through them, confronted any negative social attitude or perceptions, decreased monthly income, and depression were 1.57 to 1.8 times more likely to experience anxiety than those who did not go through these experiences. Health workers who confronted negative social attitudes or social perceptions were 1.7 times more likely to have depression. Respondents, who had family members infected with COVID-19 and HCWs who worked for long hours at hospitals were almost two times more likely to have depression. Conclusions: The findings will help promoting advocacy and encourage implementing selective interventions to protect the mental health and wellbeing of HCWs working with COVID-19.