The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Aim: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been potentially affecting the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) especially frontline workers due to isolation and loss of social support, risk of transmission to friends and relatives. We aimed to evaluate the mental health status of healthcare workers during the pandemic with the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Materials and Method: This was a single-center, cross-sectional study with a population of 250 health workers at Baskent University. The GHQ-28 scale was used to detect mental disorders in study participants. The online questionnaire was transferred via official email to the participants. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann-Whitney U tests, and multiple logistic regression analysis. A p-value of <0.05 was set as statistically significant with a confidence interval of 95% level. Results: Of the respondents (n=250), 66% (n=165) were women and 61% were between 20-45 years, and 63.2% were married. Compared with second line health workers (n=196), frontline workers (n=54) had a higher prevalence of somatic symptoms (p<0.01), anxiety/insomnia and depression (p<0.01). Multiple regression analyses showed that younger age (≤55 years), female gender and being frontline workers were more likely to have mental problems (p<0.01). Conclusion: Evaluating the mental status of HCWs and providing psychological support are essential to increase healthcare professionals’ ability to manage the pandemic process.