ABSTRACT
A global pandemic of Coronavirus appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan and spread globally. The objective behind the study was to find out the impact of COVID-19 on mental status and quality of life of physical therapists of Pakistan. This cross-sectional survey was carried out from August 2020 to January 2021. Data was collected online and personally from teaching and practicing physiotherapists working in universities and in departments of rehabilitation sciences of hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. A sample of 110 physiotherapists was selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Standardized questionnaires including Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), World Health Organization-Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) were used to assess depression, anxiety, stress, fear and quality of life. Out of 110 physiotherapists, 48 were males and 62 were females. Through DASS-21, it was assessed that the prevalence of psychological distress was 40.0%, anxiety was 57.3% and depression was 40%. Scores on all four sub-scales of WHOQOL depicted that COVID-19 also impacted the quality of life of physiotherapists including physical, psychological, social and environmental health related quality of life. Similarly, through IES-R, it was assess that 35.5% physiotherapists were having mild to severe level of fear regarding COVID-19. This study concludes us that COVID-19 has a great impact on mental health and quality of life of physiotherapists during this pandemic. Copyright © Nova Science Publishers, Inc.