Anxiety, Depression and Their Contributing Factors Among Nurses Infected with COVID-19 in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic is a great challenge in healthcare workers, especially nurses, due to their more frequent and closer contact with patients. Objective: The aim of this study was evaluation of anxiety and depression and their causes in nurses with COVID-19 infection in different wards of hospital. Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out between February 1st to October 30th, 2020 among nurses with COVID-19 infection in different wards of Imam Khomeini Hospital (university hospital), Tehran, Iran. They were contacted by phone and data were collected using a self-administered, valid, structured questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic characteristics and clinical symptoms. Psychological complications included anxiety and depression levels were also assessed and association with other sociodemographic variables was evaluated. Results: A total of 158 nurses entered the sturdy, out of which 112 (70.2%) were females. Among all participants, 72.8% and 42.4% confess anxiety and depression, respectively. Frequency of women with moderate to severe anxiety was significantly greater than that of men (p<0.001). The infected nurses who worked in low-risk departments experienced a greater proportion of moderate to severe depression (p = 0.004). In addition, the most prevalent reason for anxiety and depression was fear of infecting family members. Conclusions: The nurses bored a significant burden of psychological burden during COVID-19 pandemic, markedly when they also get infected and experience clinical symptoms. Therefore, the government and other staff should provide some facilities and supportive administrative work for reducing anxiety and depression and improving their psychological health.