The psychological impact of anxiety and depression on Chinese medical staff during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.
Ann Palliat Med
; 10(7): 7759-7774, 2021 Jul.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1344621
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide public health emergency that began in late 2019 and is still ongoing. Medical staff are at a particularly high risk of mental stress due to their close contact with infected patients. This study aimed to assess medical staff anxiety and depression levels from different risk-level areas in China during the early period of the COVID-19 outbreak and identify the main factors that might affect their mental health.METHODS:
From February 22 to March 9, 2020, we conducted a 4-part online questionnaire to survey medical staff across different Chinese provinces about their anxiety and depression levels during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. The survey considered different demographic characteristics, anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7) scores, depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) scores, and occupational protection scores. Snowball sampling via a WeChatTM group was performed to collect the data.RESULTS:
Among the 7,413 respondents, the rates of anxiety and depression reported among medical staff were 33.74% [2,501] and 27.65% [2,050], respectively. The odds of being assessed with severe anxiety were higher among nurses, those who were widowed, those in poor physical health, those working in COVID-19 designated facilities, and those receiving more than 50% negative/false information every day; the odds decreased by 5.8% with every 1-point increase in occupational protection. The odds of being assessed with moderate to severe depression or above were higher for the 18-30-year-old group, divorcees, those in poor physical health, and those receiving more than 50% of negative/false information every day; these odds decreased by 4.5% with every 1-point increase in occupational protection. Medical staff working in areas with a low exposure risk were at high risk of both anxiety and depression.CONCLUSIONS:
During the outbreak of COVID-19 in China, a significant proportion of medical staff faced psychological problems, even those in areas with a low exposure risk. Targeted interventions should focus more on nurses, widowed /divorced, and medical staff with poor physical health, less clinical experience, or insufficient occupational protection. The authenticity and orientation of media also showed a correlation with the mental state of medical staff.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pandemics
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Humans
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Ann Palliat Med
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Apm-21-1261
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