COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among Brazilian psychologists

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Juliana Alvares Duarte Bonini Campos¹  Lucas Arrais Campos³  Bianca Gonzalez Martins¹  Adriano Palomino de Oliveira²  Fabiana Maria Navarro²  Simone Cristina dos Santos²  Josilene da Costa²  Oliver Zancul Prado²  João Marôco⁶ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences;Psychology department, Universidade Paulista – UNIP;Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University;Tampere University Hospital;Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Department, School of Dentistry, São Paulo State University;William James Center for Research ,(WJCR), University Institute of Psychological, Social, and Life Sciences

关键词: Mental Health;    pandemic;    Psychology;    Anxiety;    stress;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1012543

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Symptoms related to mental health disorders became the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, and psychologists had to adapt to the demands, while they themselves were exposed to the pandemic and its stressors. The aim of this study was to identify demographic and professional characteristics of Brazilian psychologists in different phases of pandemic and their reported care practices, concerns, and symptoms. This was an observational study conducted online in four independent phases with no pairing among the samples (May/June 2020, n=263; November/December 2020, n=131; May/June 2021, n=378; November/December 2021, n=222). Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was used. The validity and reliability of the data obtained with the DASS-21 were attested to by confirmatory factor analysis. Basic lexographic and similarity analysis were conducted to obtain textual information. Prevalence of variables was estimated and compared between phases using the z-test (α=5%). Similarity analysis was performed to identify the psychologists' concerns. Most of participants were women and were self-employed or employed. There was rapid adjustment to remote work and more than 70% reported changes in their mental health since the onset of pandemic. One in four participants had a previous mental health disorder, and there was a high prevalence of symptoms such as anxiety, fear, and angst. The prevalence of professionals who reported not caring about their own mental health was significant. In 2020, one cluster (health) of concern was identified, while in 2021 there were three clusters (health, family, and COVID-19). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms was high and did not change during the pandemic. As a conclusion of this study, psychologists adapted to the demands of the population in the face of the pandemic. However, there was a high prevalence of mental health symptoms and a disregard for self-care among these professionals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY