Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health of Health-Care Providers in Maharashtra: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT

Background: As COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, it is emotionally challenging for everyone. It has been observed that health-care workers come to play a major role and give their efforts to a greater extent in such situations. The studies have reported adverse psychological reactions to the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak among health-care workers. Hence, the study was planned to assess depression, anxiety, and stress among health-care professionals during the corona pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out on health-care professionals working in the state of Maharashtra who were involved in the management of COVID-19 patients. Institutional ethical permission was taken before the study. The questionnaire was created to collect the data which having background information and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel sheets and appropriate statistical analysis was done. Results: A total of 200 participants were included in the study. It was observed in our study that 51% of participants had depression, 38% had stress, and 49% had anxiety. Depression, anxiety, and stress were more among female health-care professionals than male professionals and it was statistically significant. It was found in our study that depression, anxiety, and stress were more in urban professionals than in rural health-care professionals, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: As our study demonstrated a higher burden of depression, stress, and anxiety, early screening of health-care professionals and implementation of psychological interventions are essential for protecting and maintaining the functionality of the health-care system.