Mental Health and Psychosocial Problems of Medical Health Workers during the COVID-19 Epidemic in China

• Published in: Psychotherapy and psychosomatics Vol. 89; no. 4; p. 242
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wen-Rui, Wang, Kun, Yin, Lu, Zhao, Wen-Feng, Xue, Qing, Peng, Mao, Min, Bao-Quan, Tian, Qing, Leng, Hai-Xia, Du, Jia-Lin, Chang, Hong, Yang, Yuan, Li, Wei, Shangguan, Fang-Fang, Yan, Tian-Yi, Dong, Hui-Qing, Han, Ying, Wang, Yu-Ping, Cosci, Fiammetta, Wang, Hong-Xing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01.07.2020
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety - epidemiology; Anxiety - etiology; China - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; Female; Health Personnel - psychology; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - epidemiology; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - etiology; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - psychology; Prevalence; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - epidemiology; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - etiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult; China; COVID-19; Corona virus; Health workers; Mental health; Psychosocial problems
• DOI: 10.1159/000507639

We explored whether medical health workers had more psychosocial problems than nonmedical health workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. An online survey was run from February 19 to March 6, 2020; a total of 2,182 Chinese subjects participated. Mental health variables were assessed via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Symptom Check List-revised (SCL-90-R), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), which included a 2-item anxiety scale and a 2-item depression scale (PHQ-2). Compared with nonmedical health workers (n = 1,255), medical health workers (n = 927) had a higher prevalence of insomnia (38.4 vs. 30.5%, p < 0.01), anxiety (13.0 vs. 8.5%, p < 0.01), depression (12.2 vs. 9.5%; p< 0.04), somatization (1.6 vs. 0.4%; p < 0.01), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (5.3 vs. 2.2%; p < 0.01). They also had higher total scores of ISI, GAD-2, PHQ-2, and SCL-90-R obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p ≤ 0.01). Among medical health workers, having organic disease was an independent factor for insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatization, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05 or 0.01). Living in rural areas, being female, and being at risk of contact with COVID-19 patients were the most common risk factors for insomnia, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and depression (p < 0.01 or 0.05). Among nonmedical health workers, having organic disease was a risk factor for insomnia, depression, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.01 or 0.05). During the COVID-19 outbreak, medical health workers had psychosocial problems and risk factors for developing them. They were in need of attention and recovery programs.