Short-term emotional impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Spaniard health workers

• Published in: Journal of affective disorders Vol. 278; pp. 390 - 394
• Main Authors: Rodriguez-Menéndez, Gonzalo, Rubio-García, Ana, Conde-Alvarez, Patricia, Armesto-Luque, Laura, Garrido-Torres, Nathalia, Capitan, Luis, Luque, Asuncion, Ruiz-Veguilla, Miguel, Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Acute stress symptoms; Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; COVID-19; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Emotions; Female; Health care workers; Health Personnel - psychology; Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Middle Aged; Organizational factors; Pandemics; Prevalence; Psychiatric/Mental Health; Short Communication; Spain - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Spain; COVID-19; Health care workers; Acute stress symptoms; Organizational factors
• ISSN: 0165-0327; 1573-2517; 1573-2517
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.079

•A quarter of the surveyed HCWs met criteria for acute stress disorder.•More than half of respondents reported symptoms related to a poor general health.•Organizational issues and perceived risks seem to affect HCW emotional and general health.•Modifiable factors are critical in preparing HCWs for a future epidemiological crisis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the short-term impact of 2019-nCoV outbreak on the mental/psychological state of Spaniard health care workers (HCWs) and to explore the influencing factors, including organizational factors. : A web-based survey (Google forms questionnaire) spread via professional and scientific associations, professional WhatsApp and email lists, following a snowball technique was used. Data were collected from May 11th and May 31st, 2020 : A total of 1407 subjects were included in final analyses. 24.7% (348 out of 1407) of HCWs reported symptoms of acute stress (SARS-Q measurement) and 53.6% (754 out of 1407) reported symptoms related to poorer general health (GHQ-28 measurement). A higher risk of having an acute stress disorder was associated to being female, not having access to protective material, and several subjects´ perceived risks. Additionally, poorer overall general health (GHQ>24) was related to being female, working in a geographical area with a high incidence of infection, not being listened to by your co-workers, having a greater perception of stress at work and being able to transmit the infection to others. : We must consider a likely memory bias. : The high prevalence of affective and general health symptoms among the HCWs and the critical influence of organizational issues and subjects´ perceived risk should lead health authorities to design future strategies to protect health professional force for facing a potential upcoming epidemiological crisis.