Abstract
Background: Healthcare workers in the front line of diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at great risk of both infection and developing mental health symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the following: (1) whether healthcare workers in general hospitals experience higher mental distress than those in psychiatric hospitals; (2) the role played by religion and alexithymic trait in influencing the mental health condition and perceived level of happiness of healthcare workers amidst the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) factors that influence the resilience of healthcare workers at 6 weeks' follow-up.Methods: Four-hundred and fifty-eight healthcare workers were recruited from general and psychiatric hospitals, and 419 were followed-up after 6 weeks. All participants filled out the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, five-item Brief-Symptom Rating Scale, and the Chinese Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.Results: Under the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, 12.3% of frontline healthcare workers in general hospitals reported having mental distress and perceived lower social adaptation status compared with those working in psychiatric hospitals. Christians/Catholics perceived better psychological well-being, and Buddhists/Taoists were less likely to experience mental distress. The results at 6 weeks of follow-up showed that the perceived lower social adaptation status of general hospital healthcare workers was temporary and improved with time. Christian/Catholic religion and time had independent positive effects on psychological well-being; however, the interaction of Christian/Catholic religion and time had a negative effect.Conclusions: Collectivism and individualism in the cultural context are discussed with regard to alexithymic trait and Buddhist/Taoist and Christian/Catholic religious faiths. Early identification of mental distress and interventions should be implemented to ensure a healthy and robust clinical workforce for the treatment and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highlights
Healthcare workers in the front line of diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with confirmed and suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at great risk of both infection and developing mental health issues (Bfefferbaum and North, 2020; Chen et al, 2020; Neto et al, 2020)
This study aimed to investigate the following: (1) whether healthcare workers working in general hospitals experience higher mental distress, which may influence their psychological well-being and social adaptation status, compared with workers in psychiatric hospitals; (2) the role played by religion and alexithymic trait in influencing the mental health condition and perceived level of happiness of healthcare workers amidst the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) factors that influence the resilience of healthcare workers at 6 weeks of follow-up
Females perceived better psychological well-being than males (β = 0.12, p = 0.004), and those who were older reported better social adaption status than those who were younger (β = 0.18, p < 0.001). Those who worked in general hospitals, compared with those working at the psychiatric hospital, were more likely to experience mental distress (β = 0.10, p = 0.027) and lower social adaptation (β = −0.16, p < 0.001)
Summary
Healthcare workers in the front line of diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with confirmed and suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at great risk of both infection and developing mental health issues (Bfefferbaum and North, 2020; Chen et al, 2020; Neto et al, 2020). Another systematic review and metaanalysis showed that the prevalence of stress was 45%, depression 24.3%, and anxiety 25.8% in frontline healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 (Salari et al, 2020). Healthcare workers in the front line of diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at great risk of both infection and developing mental health symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the following: (1) whether healthcare workers in general hospitals experience higher mental distress than those in psychiatric hospitals; (2) the role played by religion and alexithymic trait in influencing the mental health condition and perceived level of happiness of healthcare workers amidst the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) factors that influence the resilience of healthcare workers at 6 weeks’ follow-up
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