Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Haseeb Khan 1
- . Rahul Srivastava 2
- . Neeraj Tripathi 3
- . Dharmendra Uraiya 3
- . Astha Singh 1
- . Ruchi Verma 4
1 Department of Psychiatry, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
2 Department of TB and Chest, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
3 Department of Medicine, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
4 Department of Anesthesia, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The spread of novel coronavirus diseases‑2019 (COVID‑19) across the world and
its associated morbidity and mortality confronted the nations by various means. COVID19 pandemic
had significant psychological effects not only on the general population but also on health‑care
workers (HCWs). Hence, we aimed to found the level of anxiety and depression among health‑care
professionals amidst coronavirus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cross‑sectional study conducted on 829 participants including
doctors and nurses and other medical staff who were posted in the COVID ward and COVID intensive
care unit using a well‑structured questionnaire through the Google Forms. The two scales used to
measure anxiety and depression among the HCWs were the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAM‑A) and the
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‑9), Cronbach’s alpha of HAM A is 0.921 and Cronbach’s alpha
of PHQ 9 is 0.851. Data analysis was done using SPSS 26, Chi‑square test and Fisher’s exact test
were used to establish the association between categorical independent and dependent variables.
RESULTS: The results of this study demonstrate that anxiety and depression were significantly
higher in doctors and staff nurses as compared to other medical staff. According to HAM‑A, 65.1% of
respondents were in the mild category, 22.0% mild to moderate, and 12.9% moderate to severe. The
HAM‑A (P = 0.022) and PHQ‑9 (P = 0.001) for anxiety and depression respectively were significantly
higher in females. The means of the scales got increased after postings in the corona wards.
CONCLUSION: Concerning the high occurrence of anxiety and fear among health‑care professionals,
appropriate psychological/psychiatric intervention necessitates and emphasizes the need to implement
urgent measures to prevent further progress to severe mental health disorder.
Keywords
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