Abstract
BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world. It has also heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn online survey was conducted among 421 doctors in Pakistan between April 10 and May 25, 2020. The Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were the main psychometric instruments used in this study.ResultsThere was a significant positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Significantly higher fear of COVID-19 was found among (i) females compared to males, (ii) doctors with 5 years or less of work experience compared to those with more than 5 years, and (iii) postgraduate trainees compared with other ranks. Two groups (doctors who were above 30 years old and postgraduate trainees) were found to have higher levels of workplace phobia compared to their counterparts. Doctors with severe levels of fear of COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior.ConclusionsFear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with workplace phobia which may negatively affect doctors’ performance. Therefore, important steps are needed to protect doctors’ health by providing sufficient resources to allay their fears and anxieties which consequently help them in carrying out their frontline duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world
Based on the aforementioned background literature, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic
The results showed that postgraduate trainee doctors (M = 22.75, SD = 6.66; M = 23.15, SD = 13.20 for fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia respectively) had significantly higher fear of COVID-19 (F(3, 417) = 8.285, p < .001) and workplace phobia (F(3, 417) = 4.574, p = .004) as compared to house officers (M = 20.02, SD = 6.72; M = 20.06, SD = 11.94), medical officers (M = 18.96, SD = 6.93; M = 17.66, SD = 12.94), and consultants (M = 20.15, SD = 6.76; M = 20.72, SD = 12.47)
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world It has heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. The world is facing a unique challenge due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID19) which has spread to a majority of countries worldwide after the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China [1]. Another study among doctors during the pandemic from Lahore (Pakistan) reported severe anxiety (7.2%) and depression (1%) among a minority of those surveyed [13]. These Pakistani studies are important to because they are in the same country setting as the present study. Findings may help with understanding the mental health challenges among Pakistani doctors
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