Evaluation of the mental health of health professionals in the COVID‐19 era. What mental health conditions are our health care workers facing in the new wave of coronavirus?

Martín, Josune; Padierna, Ángel; Villanueva, Ane; Quintana, José M.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to analyse the mental health and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) of a broad sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) in Spain and to identify potential factors that have a significant effect on their mental health and HRQoL. METHOD: This prospective cohort study comprised 2089 HCWs who completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item (GAD‐7) Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9), the Impact Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the health‐related quality of life Questionnaire (EQ‐5D). Sociodemographic and clinical data in relation to Covid‐19 were also recorded. Descriptive statistics, univariable analysis and multivariable linear regression models were applied to identify factors associated with mental health and HRQoL. RESULTS: 80.87% of participants were female and 19.13% male; 82.38% were aged under 55 years; 39.13% were physicians and 50.17% were nurses or auxiliaries; 80.42% of the health workers have directly treated patients with Covid‐19 and 12.28% have themselves tested positive for Covid‐19. 38.58% of HCWs had clinical depression; over half (51.75%) had clinical anxiety; 60.4% had clinical stress; and 21.57% had clinical insomnia. Older professionals (>55 years) reported lower rates of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress. Having worked directly with Covid‐19 patients appears to be an explanatory variable of suffering greater anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia, and of having a worse HRQoL amongst our HCWs. The group of HCWs suffering the worst mental state were nursing home workers. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that symptomatology of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and HRQoL were affected amongst HCW during the Covid‐19 pandemic.