Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care workers: a cross-sectional study

The British journal of general practice: the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners

article

Enric Aragonès¹  Isabel del Cura-González²  Lucía Hernández-Rivas³  Elena Polentinos-Castro²  Maria Isabel Fernández-San-Martín¹  Juan A López-Rodríguez²  Josep M Molina-Aragonés⁴  Franco Amigo⁵  Itxaso Alayo⁵  Philippe Mortier⁵  Montse Ferrer⁶  Víctor Pérez-Solà⁷  Gemma Vilagut⁵  Jordi Alonso⁶ 

[1] Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol;Research Network on Health Services in Chronic Diseases, Madrid, Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Primary Care Research Unit ,(GAAP-SERMAS), Madrid Health Service, Madrid, Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute;La Paz University Hospital;Institut Català de la Salut;Health Services Research Unit, Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques;Health Services Research Unit, Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques, Barcelona, CIBERESP, Madrid, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University;Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, CIBER Mental Health ,(CIBERSAM), Madrid, Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions

关键词: COVID-19 pandemic;    cross-sectional study;    health personnel;    mental health;    primary health care;    psychological resilience;   

DOI  :  10.3399/BJGP.2021.0691

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Royal College of General Practitioners

【 摘 要 】

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the mental health of healthcare workers, yet studies in primary care workers are scarce.Aim To investigate the prevalence of and associated factors for psychological distress in primary care workers during the first COVID-19 outbreak.Design and setting This was a multicentre, cross-sectional, web-based survey conducted in primary healthcare workers in Spain, between May and September 2020.Method Healthcare workers were invited to complete a survey to evaluate sociodemographic and work-related characteristics, COVID-19 infection status, exposure to patients with COVID-19, and resilience (using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale), in addition to being screened for common mental disorders (depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, and substance use disorder). Positive screening for any of these disorders was analysed globally using the term ‘any current mental disorder’.Results A total of 2928 primary care professionals participated in the survey. Of them, 43.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 41.9 to 45.4) tested positive for a current mental disorder. Female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 95% CI = 1.25 to 2.06), having previous mental disorders (OR 2.58, 95% CI = 2.15 to 3.10), greater occupational exposure to patients with COVID-19 (OR 2.63, 95% CI = 1.98 to 3.51), having children or dependents (OR 1.35, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.76 and OR 1.59, 95% CI = 1.20 to 2.11, respectively), or having an administrative job (OR 2.24, 95% CI = 1.66 to 3.03) were associated with a higher risk of any current mental disorder. Personal resilience was shown to be a protective factor.Conclusion Almost half of primary care workers showed significant psychological distress. Strategies to support the mental health of primary care workers are necessary, including designing psychological support and resilience-building interventions based on risk factors identified.

【 授权许可】

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