Mental Health of Hospital Staff During COVID-19: A Comparative Longitudinal Study

Staff burnout was a major challenge for healthcare systems globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, this study aimed to examine the mental health status of employees in two hospitals: one that admitted patients with COVID-19 (COVID-19 hospital) and another that did not admit such patients (non-COVID-19 hospital).

This multistage case-control study was conducted on 1241 participants who were selected using the census sampling method. The participants completed the Symptom Checklist 25 and a demographic checklist, along with the assessment of other relevant variables. Data collection occurred at 3 (June 2020), 6 (September 2020), and 9 (December 2020) months following the COVID-19 outbreak. The data were analyzed in using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for statistical analysis.

Among the 300 staff members at the COVID-19 hospital, 187 (62%), 73 (24%), and 40 (13%) members were medical, nonmedical, and administrative staff, respectively. At the non-COVID-19 hospital, out of 300 staff members, 235 (78%), 53 (18%), and 12 (4%) members were medical, nonmedical, and administrative staff, respectively. The staff at the COVID-19 hospital showed higher total SCL-25 scores, compared to those at the non-COVID-19 hospital. Despite an overall upward trend in psychiatric disorders in both groups, significant differences were observed at 6 months (p = 0.02) and 9 months (p < 0.001) following the outbreak.

The staff at the COVID-19 hospital were at a higher risk of developing mental health disorders. The mental health status of employees at both hospitals evolved over time.