Sociodemographic Factors and Mental Health in Health Care Professionals and Patients During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened mental health. This study aimed to: (1) measure the prevalence of loneliness, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation or behavior, and stress in primary care patients, and physicians, healthcare providers, and healthcare staff; and (2) measure the association of socio-demographic and employment characteristics with mental health measures. A cross-sectional survey measured the prevalence of mental health outcomes in healthcare providers and staff and primary care patients in Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 18 - July 7, 2021. Descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression models with robust standard errors were used to assess the association between mental health measures and demographic characteristics, employment status, healthcare occupation type, financial security, and local COVID-19 hospitalizations. Each outcome was modeled separately. 3,646 participants completed the survey, including 1,687 patients and 1,959 healthcare providers and staff. Participants were 73.5% female, 92.5% White, and 6.6% Hispanic, with a mean age of 46.8 (SD: 15.6). Overall, 32.2% of patients and 29% of healthcare providers and staff reported moderate to high levels of at least one measure of mental distress. Male sex, older age, larger household size, not caring for dependents, being a healthcare provider or staff, and being financially secure were associated with better mental health conditions, with financial security being the association of largest magnitude. Understanding which sociodemographic factors were associated with disproportionate adverse mental health outcomes from COVID-19 may inform how mental health support is prioritized in future public health emergencies.