E-Health Psychological Intervention for COVID-19 Healthcare Workers: Protocol for its Implementation and Evaluation.

(1) Background: Healthcare workers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital interventions have been carried out that have been effective with this population; however, few have been reported in Latin America. Our aim is to describe the components and methods to evaluate the feasibility and utility of an online multi-component psychological intervention for healthcare workers in Mexico during COVID-19. (2) Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial with two arms: (1) self-applied intervention and (2) intervention delivered online by therapists. The participants are randomly assigned to one arm, receiving the same treatment contents in both groups. The "Personal COVID" intervention consists of an internet platform containing 9 nuclear and 3 complementary modules. The objectives of the intervention are: (1) to reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, burnout, and compassion fatigue, and (2) to increase the quality of life, sleep quality, self-care, and their skills to give bad news. The protocol has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT04890665). (3) Discussion: This protocol is designed according to the highest scientific standards following the SPIRIT guidelines. The "Personal COVID" intervention is expected to be of high efficacy in treating the emotional distress of healthcare workers and promoting their health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence of Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors in Mexican Adults Seeking Psychological Support for Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest challenges in modern history, with more than four million confirmed deaths worldwide. To date, evidence regarding the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on grievers is scarce for developing countries such as Mexico. This study aimed to assess the levels of anxiety and associated concerns in a sample of Mexican adults bereaved during the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional study was conducted through the Duelo COVID (COVID Grief) platform, which is a self-guided online treatment. A total of 5,224 participants reported their anxiety, depression, sleep quality, avoidance, and arousal, prolonged grief symptoms, and medication consumption. Independent sample Mann-Whitney U-tests, chi-square tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, as well as multinomial logistic regression, were conducted. Results indicated that 90.4% of the participants reported clinical levels of anxiety, depression, and sleep affectations. The people who lost someone during the last 5 months scored higher in normal grief symptoms compared to the people whose loss was 6 months ago or more, and 9.8% of individuals reported the use of prescription medication, with anxiolytics and antidepressants being the most common. Females, younger respondents, unemployed people with a lower educational level, and participants who disclosed a recent suicide attempt were among those who reported medication consumption. Sleep problems were more frequent in older participants.