Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care workers: a cross-sectional study.
Br J Gen Pract
; 72(720): e501-e510, 2022 07.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1924322
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of healthcare workers, yet studies in primary care workers are scarce.AIM:
To investigate the prevalence of and associated factors for psychological distress in primary care workers during the first COVID-19 outbreak. DESIGN ANDSETTING:
This was a multicentre, cross-sectional, web-based survey conducted in primary healthcare workers in Spain, between May and September 2020.METHOD:
Healthcare workers were invited to complete a survey to evaluate sociodemographic and work-related characteristics, COVID-19 infection status, exposure to patients with COVID-19, and resilience (using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), in addition to being screened for common mental disorders (depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and substance use disorder). Positive screening for any of these disorders was analysed globally using the term 'any current mental disorder'.RESULTS:
A total of 2928 primary care professionals participated in the survey. Of them, 43.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 41.9 to 45.4) tested positive for a current mental disorder. Female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 95% CI = 1.25 to 2.06), having previous mental disorders (OR 2.58, 95% CI = 2.15 to 3.10), greater occupational exposure to patients with COVID-19 (OR 2.63, 95% CI = 1.98 to 3.51), having children or dependents (OR 1.35, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.76 and OR 1.59, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.11, respectively), or having an administrative job (OR 2.24, 95% CI = 1.66 to 3.03) were associated with a higher risk of any current mental disorder. Personal resilience was shown to be a protective factor.CONCLUSION:
Almost half of primary care workers showed significant psychological distress. Strategies to support the mental health of primary care workers are necessary, including designing psychological support and resilience-building interventions based on risk factors identified.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Br J Gen Pract
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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