Mental health predictors of medical staff in the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.

Abstract

Aim of the studyTo identify the sociodemographic predictors of general functioning, stress, anxiety and depression in Polish medical workers’ group in the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic.Subject or material and methodsA cross-sectional observational study using an online questionnaire was conducted via both professional organizations and social media groups. A total of 303 completed responses were received. More than half of participants (54.8%) work in public hospitals, the majority was females (77.6%), nurses (38.3%), the age was ranged from 22 to 68 years (M = 41.37; SD = 11.38). The semi-structured online questionnaire covered following areas: (1) general sociodemografic data, including health state and COVID-19 related questions; (2) psychological impact and mental health, measured by GHQ-30 and DASS-21.ResultsOverall, our results showed that sex, years of experience and profession have predictive power to explain mental health being of medical workers during COVID-19. In our study, females reported worse general functioning (GHQ-30) and higher stress (DASS-21) than males. Longer working experience is predictor of better interpersonal relationships (GHQ-30).DiscussionYears of experience and gender accounted for 27% of the variance of the level of stress in medical staff group. With the years of experience of healthcare professionals, the stress decreases. Nurses reported less severity of anxiety than other medical workers. We assume those results are connected with education process as well as experience level.ConclusionsIt may be important to develop a personalized interventions, taking into account the main predictors of mental well-being. Authorities should consider creating the tailored-made programs for particular medical professions.