Factors associated with psychological distress in health-care workers during an infectious disease outbreak: A rapid living systematic review

Sirois, F. M.; Owens, J.

Background: Health-care workers (HCW) are at risk for psychological distress during an infectious disease outbreak due to the demands of dealing with a public health emergency. Aims: To examine the factors associated with psychological distress among HCW during an outbreak. Method: We conducted a rapid review of the factors associated with psychological distress (demographic characteristics, occupational, social, psychological, and infection-related factors) in HCW during an outbreak (COVID-19, SARS, MERS, H1N1, H7N9, Ebola). Four electronic databases (Medline, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and the first 10 pages of Google Scholar) were searched (2000 to 10 July 2020) for relevant peer-reviewed research with a sample size >80. Results: From the 3335 records identified, 52 with data from 54,800 HCW were included. All but two studies were cross-sectional. Consistent evidence indicated that being female, a nurse, experiencing stigma, maladaptive coping, having contact or risk for contact with infected patients, and being quarantined, were risk factors for psychological distress among HCW. Personal and organisational social support, perceiving control, positive work attitudes, sufficient information about the outbreak and proper protection, training and resources, were associated with less psychological distress. Conclusions: This review highlighted the profiles of HCW who may be most at risk for psychological distress during an outbreak as well as several potential targets for interventions to reduce distress. More research is needed to track the associations of these factors with distress over time and the extent to which certain factors are inter-related and linked to sustained or transient distress.