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High Work-Related Stress and Anxiety as a Response to COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers in South Korea: Cross-sectional Online Survey Study.

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Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 outbreak had a severe impact on health care workers' psychological health. It is important to establish a process for psychological assessment and intervention for health care workers during epidemics.

Objective: We investigated risk factors associated with psychological impacts for each health care worker group, to help optimize psychological interventions for health care workers in countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Respondents (n=1787) from 2 hospitals in Korea completed a web-based survey during the period from April 14 to 30, 2020. The web-based survey collected demographic information, psychiatric history, and responses to the 9-item Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics (SAVE-9), 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales. We performed logistic regression to assess contributing factors as predictor variables, using health care workers' depression as outcome variables.

Results: Among 1783 health care workers, nursing professionals had significantly higher levels of depression (PHQ-9 score: meannurse 5.5, SD 4.6; meanother 3.8, SD 4.2; P<.001), general anxiety (GAD-7 score: meannurse 4.0, SD 4.1; meanother 2.7, SD 3.6; P<.001), and virus-related anxiety symptoms (SAVE-9 score: meannurse 21.6, SD 5.9; meanother 18.6, SD 6.3; P<.001). Among nursing professionals, single workers reported more severe depressive symptoms than married workers (PHQ-9 score ≥10; meannurse 20.3%; meanother 14.1%; P=.02), and junior (<40 years) workers reported more anxiety about the viral epidemic (SAVE-9 anxiety score; meannurse 15.6, SD 4.1; meanother 14.7, SD 4.4; P=.002). Logistic regression revealed that hospital (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% CI 1.06-1.99), nursing professionals (adjusted OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.02-1.98), single workers (adjusted OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.05-2.16), higher stress and anxiety to the viral infection (high SAVE-9 score, adjusted OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.17-1.24), and past psychiatric history (adjusted OR 3.26, 95% CI 2.15-4.96) were positively associated with depression.

Conclusions: Psychological support and interventions should be considered for health care workers, especially nursing professionals, those who are single, and those with high SAVE-9 scores.

Keywords: COVID-19; South Korea; anxiety; assessment; depression; health care worker; health personnel; intervention; mental health; occupational stress; stress.
Author(s)
김정혜김화정서수연신용욱안명희이경욱정석훈
Issued Date
2021
Type
Article
Keyword
COVID-19South Koreaanxietyassessmentdepressionhealth care workerhealth personnelinterventionmental healthoccupational stressstress
DOI
10.2196/25489
URI
https://oak.ulsan.ac.kr/handle/2021.oak/8255
https://ulsan-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_2569379747&amp;context=PC&amp;vid=ULSAN&amp;lang=ko_KR&amp;search_scope=default_scope&amp;adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&amp;tab=default_tab&amp;query=any,contains,High%20Work-Related%20Stress%20and%20Anxiety%20as%20a%20Response%20to%20COVID-19%20Among%20Health%20Care%20Workers%20in%20South%20Korea:%20Cross-sectional%20Online%20Survey%20Study.&amp;offset=0&amp;pcAvailability=true
Publisher
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Location
대한민국
Language
영어
ISSN
2369-2960
Citation Volume
7
Citation Number
10
Citation Start Page
25489
Citation End Page
25489
Appears in Collections:
Medicine > Medicine
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