Investigating the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress with the time to return to work in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Yazd

Davari  MH; Mehrparvar  AH; Loukzadeh  Z; Piri Ardakani  M; Neshati  A; Shamsi  F; Jafari  A; Manoochehry  S

doi:10.18502/tkj.v17i4.20929

Davari MH Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Mehrparvar AH Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Loukzadeh Z Industrial Diseases Research Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Piri Ardakani M Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Neshati A Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Shamsi F Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Jafari A Department of Occupational Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Manoochehry S Department of Occupational Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/tkj.v17i4.20929

Keywords: COVID-19, Return to work, DASS-21, Psychological

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a great burden on humans in various areas. The return to work of individuals after contracting this disease was likely to be affected by various factors, one of which could be psychological disorders. Therefore, we decided to conduct a study in this field.

Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional and conducted on patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized for treatment and subsequently returned to their previous jobs. A questionnaire including demographic and occupational information, as well as the Persian version of the DASS-21 questionnaire, was completed for each participant via telephone interview. Depression, anxiety, and stress were compared between the two groups: those with a return-to-work time of up to 21 days and those with a return-to-work time of more than 21 days. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and the chi-square test.

Results: The sample size of this study was 152 individuals with the average age of 40.1±7.8 years. Fifty-seven of participants (37.5%) returned to work within a maximum of 21 days after the onset of COVID-19 onset, while this period took longer than 21 days for 62.5% of the participants. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly higher in individuals whose return to work took longer than 21 days, and depression was significantly higher in those with non-university education compared to those with university education.

Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate the importance of early assessment of psychological status and timely intervention from the perspective of occupational health and appropriate return to work during the outbreak of pandemics.