Mental Health Status among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Ali   Kheradmand; Mahsa  Mahjani; Ali Pirsalehi; Somayeh Fatemizadeh; Mohammadreza  Moshari; Shadi  Ziaie; Sima  Fatemizadeh; Banafshe Khoshgoui

doi:10.18502/ijps.v16i3.6250

Ali Kheradmand Department of Psychiatry, Taleghani Hospital Research Development Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mahsa Mahjani School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ali Pirsalehi Department of Internal Medicine, Taleghani Hospital Research Development Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Somayeh Fatemizadeh Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammadreza Moshari Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Shadi Ziaie Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sima Fatemizadeh Department of Clinical Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Banafshe Khoshgoui Taleghani Hospital Research Development Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v16i3.6250

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus; Healthcare Worker; Mental Health; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Objective: COVID-19, which is an international concern by far, had fundamental impacts on mental health of medical staff. Healthcare workers are the high-risk group to endure the emotional outcomes brought about by the outbreak. This study assesses the mental consequences of healthcare workers during the acute phase of COVID-19 pandemic in Tehran.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study on healthcare workers from two tertiary referral hospitals in Tehran province. A total of 222 of the staff participated in the study. Our questionnaires comprised Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which were handed to participants to obtain data on their general mental problems in addition to the psychological impacts of the evolving virus on this particular group. Epidemiologic and sociodemographic information of participants, level of perceiving exposure to disease, and underlying diseases of each of them were gathered during the recruitment period.

Results: Results showed high probabilities (98.2%) in mental disorders among healthcare workers. Since our study was done during the initial phase of the pandemic, development of mental issues due to the newly emerged infectious virus was expected. However, we recorded mild (41.4%) to moderate (31.5%) impact of this novel virus. The possibility of having mental problems was much higher in females, assistant nurses, individuals with lower education, and those who provided care for COVID-19 patients.

Conclusion: COVID-19 has brought about increased distress among healthcare workers. Noticeably, the forefront group in combating this virus bear the most emotional complications. Thus, efforts should be taken into practice to provide proper psychological support for this vulnerable group.