Pandemic and psychological outcomes among health-care practitioners

Abstract

Introduction: The dramatic spread of SARS-Cov-2 and the following fatalities put the health-care practitioners under high pressure and increased workload. Coping mechanisms adapted by health-care practitioners represent a challenge to their psychological resilience. This type of pandemic produces fearful behavior and increases the risk of adverse psychological responses. The aim was to study the prevalence of psychological outcomes and exploring the associated factors among health-care practitioners amidst COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, online survey of 588 health-care practitioners who were fighting against the COVID-19. The survey was applied in August, 2020, using a questionnaire that measures depression, anxiety, and stress. Survey included two sections, sociodemographic characteristics and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) scale. SPSS 22.0 software package was used for statistical analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the factors associated with psychological problems. Pearson's correlation was also used to assess the correlation among the psychological outcomes themselves. Results: Out of 588 health-care practitioners, 49.65% had depressive symptoms, 41.15% had anxiety symptoms, and 30.95% were distressed. Around 25%–35% of health-care practitioners had moderate-to-severe symptoms. Mean age was 28.78 years, and mean score of DASS-21 was 31.29 (standard deviation SD = 27.07). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that working as specialists and as frontline workers was significantly associated with different psychological outcomes (anxiety and stress). A statistically significant correlation was found between stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusions: This study revealed that a large number of health-care practitioners were affected severely by psychological morbidities, which required a mental health professional consultation. These negative outcomes were invisible, inconvenient, and frightening in reality. Therefore, recognition of other risk factors and planning of interventions would be beneficial in reducing the damage to psychological well-being of these practitioners. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Clinical knowledge, Practice-based learning and improvement, System-based practice.