Mental health burden and predictors among Egyptian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is known to have negatively affected the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers. Estimating such a burden in a limited-resource setting may be essential in the ongoing fight against the pandemic. This research aims to assess the prevalence of mental health problems, that is, depression and anxiety, among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt and their associated factors and predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey to screen for anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) score and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score among healthcare workers in direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 cases. Results: Analysis of participants’ responses showed that 36.7% suffered from depression, while 30.7% had moderate to severe anxiety. Independent predictors of depression were feeling unsure or dissatisfied with one’s income (AOR =8.87 and 8.51, respectively), working exclusively in private or governmental hospitals (AOR = 8.15 and 5.1, respectively), and serving in central or insurance hospitals (AOR = 2.21). Meanwhile, independent predictors of anxiety were working in governmental hospitals (AOR = 5.87), working duration from 5 to 10 years (AOR = 4.65), and suffering from other comorbidities (AOR = 2.18). Working as a nurse was a protective factor against anxiety (AOR = 0.36). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic considerably affected the mental well-being of health care workers in Egypt. Income, type of hospital, working duration, and other comorbidities were the main predictors of health care workers’ mental health. Examining the mental burden of the pandemic on health care workers is important so that current and future crises can be managed better.