Psychosocial Status of Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aimed to determine the depression, anxiety, and stress levels of healthcare workers (HCWs) working actively in different health services during the pandemic.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ankara at the Provincial Health Directorate Numune Campus between January and April 2022. The depression, anxiety, and stress levels of HCWs working actively in different health services during the pandemic were evaluated using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the data.

The study included 381 healthcare workers, 272 (71.4%) of whom were female. The mean age was 40.0±9.9 (21-63) years, and 44.9% (n=171) of the HCWs had a COVID-19 infection at some point. While 28.6% of HCWs needed psychological support before the pandemic, the rate increased to 36.2% during the pandemic (p<0.001). DASS-21 results showed that the frequency of depression was 31.0%, anxiety 47.2%, and stress 22.8% among participants during the pandemic.

One out of three HCWs reported experiencing mental health problems. It is essential to improve the working conditions of HCWs to help them cope with the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and to provide psychosocial support.