The Relationship Of Depression, Anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms with Sociodemographic and Vocational Variables in Healthcare Professionals Who Work in COVID-19 Pandemia

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to examine depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress levels and their relationship with sociodemographic and occupational variables in health care workers who have been on duty during the COVID-19 outbreak, in a university hospital. METHODS: 131 health care workers included in the study during May to July 2020. We used sociodemographic data form, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Impact of Events Scale- Revised for data collection. RESULTS: 13.7% of the participants had symptoms of depression and 26.7% of them had generalized anxiety symptoms. 26.4% of them experienced mild and more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms. According to logistic regression analysis: having a relative or colleague with the diagnose COVID-19, insufficient knowledge about infection prevention predict post-traumatic stress, depression and generalized anxiety; discordance with co-workers is related to post-traumatic stress and depression symptoms; persons who have less professional experience and have a history of psychiatric illness experience intenser post-traumatic stress and generalized anxiety symptoms; insufficient personal protective equipment supply is connected to higher post-traumatic stress levels and discordance with the team leader predicts generalized anxiety. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In risky periods such as outbreaks, informing health care workers about how to protect them from threats, providing adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment, providing a positive working environment and good leadership practices seem to protect health care workers from psychopathologies like depression, post-traumatic stress and generalized anxiety.