Investigating the effects of the prevalence of covid-19 disease on the mental health of public and private sector employees in Mashhad.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Since December 2019, the outbreak of a new type of pneumonia of unknown cause was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Given the current focus of much research on pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis and treatment of covid-19 disease, the mental health aspect of the outbreak is often overlooked. Material and Method: To conduct this study, 160 employees of public and private sector companies and offices were selected as the target population. Finally, the staff answered 25 questions that were distributed to them during a written questionnaire. The questionnaires contained 25 questions on mental health and behavior. A significant correlation between personal information and answer to each question was assessed by the chi-square test. Results: The data show that more than 39% of employees are afraid and anxious about the prevalence of covid-19 disease so that 16.47% of them are terrified, 23.14% have high fears that can cause employees problems such as fear of illness and xenophobia. Also, 32.47% have reported that they have undergone behavioral changes due to the prevalence of this disease. At the level of 0.05, the chi-square test also shows a significant relationship between gender, age, etc. by answering some question Conclusion: The information obtained from our research shows that the prevalence of covid-19 disease in Iran has caused psychological and behavioral changes among public and private employees, which requires more effective measures by government and national officials to maintain employee health.