ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected front line health care workers (HCW) and first responders (FR). The infection risk from SARS CoV-2, the high mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the duration of the pandemic have created sustained and often traumatic stressors affecting HCW and FR. Objectives: To assess the relationship of COVID-19 stressor frequency scores to psychiatric rating scale scores amongst HCW and FR. To determine if psychiatric rating scale scores mediate stressor effects on perceived work function and likelihood of remaining in current occupation. Design: Observational, self-report in a convenience sample Participants: 118 HCW and FR caring for COVID-19 patients in the United States. Main Measure: COVID-19 related stressor frequencies were assessed using a 17-item questionnaire. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the PTSD Checklist 5 (PCL5), the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (for depression) (PHQ9), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the General Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7). Key Results: Stressor frequency scores correlated significantly with PCL5 scores (R=.57, p<1e-8), PHQ scores (R=.35, P