Psychological Stress among Health Care Professionals during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease Outbreak: Cases from Online Consulting Customers

Ma, Yarong; Rosenheck, Robert; He, Hongbo

BACKGROUND: During the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, online consulting has been widely used to address mental health problems, including health care professionals (HCPs) caring for COVID-19 patients who experienced substantial psychological distress. AIM: To explore the severity of perceived stress and potential correlates among the HCPs seeking online mental health services during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted among 34 HCPs to assess levels of psychological distress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. The HCPs working in different departments were compared using χ(2)-test for categorized variables and t-test for continuous ones, followed by the analysis of covariate (ANCOVA) to compare the perceived stress. Linear regression for the PSS-10 score was performed to identify potential correlates of stress. RESULTS: The sample overall (n=34) showed a relatively moderate level of perceived stress (PSS mean=15.71±4.02) with 38% identified as depressed (PHQ-9≥5) and 24% as suffering from anxiety (GAD-7≥5). Those working at intensive care units (ICUs) or in departments of respiratory medicine (RM) demonstrated significantly higher perceived stress than those at other departments (adjusted mean: 17.48±.96 vs. 13.06±1.25, p=.018, partial η(2)=.173). High perceived stress was most strongly associated with being depressed (beta=.486, p=.002) and working at ICUs/RM (beta=.345, p=.023). CONCLUSIONS: The psychological health status of frontline health care professionals during the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak warrants clinical attention. Online mental health services has played a major role although its effectiveness and barriers to its utilization require further evaluation.