The psychological status of resident doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with resilience and social support: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological status of frontline medical professionals who constantly work under stressful situations. The role of social support and resilience in safeguarding the mental health of resident doctors, is an area, which has not received due attention.AIMS: To assess the psychological status (depression, anxiety, and fear of COVID-19) and its association with resilience and perceived social support in resident doctors during COVID-19 pandemic.SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among the resident doctors in a tertiary hospital in Kochi, Kerala.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based survey created using Google forms was sent via social media groups to the resident doctors of a teaching hospital in Kochi between August to September 2020. Two hundred completed responses were obtained. Study tools included a sociodemographic proforma, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7, Fear of COVID-19 scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Psychological status (depression, anxiety, fear of COVID-19) was expressed using descriptive statistics; its association with sociodemographic variables using Chi-square test and its correlation with resilience and social support using Pearson correlation.RESULTS: Depression and anxiety were reported in 69% and 59.5% of the respondents, respectively. The mean fear of COVID-19 score was 24.06 (3.220). Resilience and overall social support index showed a significant negative correlation with depression and anxiety scores (P = 0.000). Emotional social support and affectionate social support showed a significant negative correlation with fear of COVID-19 (P = 0.040; P = 0.045, respectively).Conclusion: A large proportion of resident doctors were noted to have depression, anxiety, and fear of COVID-19. Individuals with higher levels of resilience and perceived social support had lesser levels of depression, anxiety, and fear of COVID-19.