Abstract
The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern and poses a challenge to the mental health and sleep quality of front-line medical staff (FMS). The aim of this study was to investigate the sleep quality of FMS during the COVID-19 outbreak in China and analyze the relationship between mental health and sleep quality of FMS. From February 24, 2020 to March 22, 2020, a cross-sectional study was performed with 543 FMS from a medical center in Western China. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data anonymously. The following tests were used: The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) for symptoms of anxiety, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depressive symptoms, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality assessment. Of the 543 FMS, 216 (39.8%) were classified as subjects with poor sleep quality. Anxiety (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), and the prevalence of those divorced or widowed (P<0.05) were more common in FMS with poor sleep quality than in participants with good sleep quality. The FMS exhibiting co-occurrence of anxiety and depression were associated with worse scores on sleep quality than those medical staff in the other three groups/categories. The difference in sleep quality between the FMS with only depression and the FMS experiencing co-occurrence of anxiety and depression was statistically significant (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in sleep quality between the FMS experiencing only anxiety and the FMS with co-occurrence of anxiety and depression (P > 0.05). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a noteworthy increase in the prevalence of negative emotions and sentiments among the medical staff, along with poor overall sleep quality. We anticipate that this study can stimulate more research into the mental state of FMS during outbreaks and other public health emergencies. In addition, particular attention must be paid to enhance the sleep quality of FMS, along with better planning and support for FMS who are continuously exposed to the existing viral epidemic by virtue of the nature of their profession.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus strain, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan City, in central China and spread rapidly to the rest of the world, including Europe and the United States [1]
The front-line medical staff (FMS) exhibiting co-occurrence of anxiety and depression were associated with worse scores on sleep quality than those medical staff in the other three groups/categories
There was no significant difference in sleep quality between the FMS experiencing only anxiety and the FMS with co-occurrence of anxiety and depression (P > 0.05)
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus strain, known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan City, in central China and spread rapidly to the rest of the world, including Europe and the United States [1] It has a high transmission rate and can be transmitted via close human-to-human contact [2, 3]. In the wake of the current viral pandemic, the front-line medical staff (FMS) have indubitably been the most impacted groups, with increased workload involving diagnosis and treatment of new infections, elevated stress levels, reduced or overwhelmed health system capacity, and increased risk of infections [6] These constant stressors may adversely impact sleep quality and mental health of FMS.
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