COVID-19: Impact on Mental Health of Nursing Workers

ABSTRACT

The prolonged pandemic context by the new Coronavirus aggravated the physical and emotional strain of healthcare workers, negatively impacting mental health. The objectives of this study were to verify the prevalence of Mild Depression Disorder (MDD) and Mild Anxiety Disorder (MAD) and their associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses and nursing assistants from a private hospital in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The sample consisted of 184 nursing workers, who answered a form using Google Forms (R), released by the social media group (WhatsApp (R)), restricted to employees and managers of the sectors. Demographic, occupational, clinical data, and indicators of MDD and MAD were obtained through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Descriptive statistics and association tests between independent and dependent variables were used. There was a predominance of women (88%), in the role of nurse technicians and/or assistants (63.6%), and those who worked in specific units of patients with COVID-19 (58.7%). The prevalence of MDD was 43.5% (95% CI 36.4% - 50.7%) and MAD was 46.2% (95% CI 39.1% - 53.4%). There was a statistically significant association between MAD, age between 25 and 35 years (p=0.01) and hospital unit not specific for COVID-19 (p=0.04). The prevalence of mild depression and anxiety disorders was considered high. Mild anxiety disorder had a higher prevalence among younger workers and those working in units not specific to COVID-19.