COVID-19: Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression in the ICU

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a high prevalence of anxiety and depression among healthcare personnel.

To assess the prevalence and independent risk factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms among healthcare staff working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area.

This was an analytical cross-sectional study. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using linear regressions to investigate associated factors.

A total of 288 people were included in the study. The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was 8.34% (95% CI: 5.41-12.14%). In the bivariate analysis, six factors were associated with depression and anxiety symptoms; however, only three remained in the multivariate analysis: female sex (β=0.085, 95% CI: 0.019 - 0.151), experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in the past 14 days (β= 0.115, 95% CI: 0.024 - 0.205), and having worked in general ICUs and COVID-19 ICUs (β =0.009, 95% CI: 0.025 - 0.173).

The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was considerably lower than reported in the scientific literature.

In the studied population, although the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms was low, three independent factors were found to be statistically associated with the presence of these mental symptoms.