The psychological stress response of COVID-19 to medical staff and prevention: A large sample study from China

Frontiers in Psychology

Psychology

Dengying Bu¹  Yuan Xu¹  Liying Chang¹  Mei Hu¹  Chun Mao²  Kai Luo³ 

[1] Department of Neurology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;Comprehensive Stroke Center, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;Department of Neurology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;School of Clinical Medicine, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;School of Food Science and Technology and School of Chemical Engineering, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;

关键词: COVID-19;    psychology;    stress response;    medical workers;    clinical work;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1125847

 received in 2022-12-16, accepted in 2023-03-01,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

ObjectivesIn the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical staff in China were more likely to suffer from psychological problems. By investigating the actual state of psychological stress response of medical staff during the COVID-19 outbreak, the study discussed and analyzed the influencing factors of different psychological states in order to prevent the occurrence of serious adverse emotional events in medical staff.MethodsIn the Xiangyang Central Hospital, 1,466 medical staff members have adopted the Psychological Questionnaire for Emergencies Events of Public Health (PQEEPH), which includes questions about depression, neurasthenia, fear, obsessive anxiety, and hypochondriac disorders. The questionnaire also asks about gender, age, education level, health, department, position, and whether personnel exposure history correlation analysis has been confirmed.ResultsThe survey revealed that 55% had depression, 26.7% had neurasthenia, 95% had fear, 47.9% had obsessive anxiety, and 69.3% had hypochondria. The effects of depression and hypochondriac emotional stress were significantly greater in female workers than in male workers (p < 0.05). Those with higher educational levels had a stronger emotional stress response. Medical professionals with or without contact histories, those who were suspected or confirmed, as well as those in various positions and departments, all demonstrated significant differences in their stress emotions (p < 0.05).ConclusionEmotional stress affected medical professionals, especially doctors and nurses, who were on the front lines of clinical work in the face of significant public health emergencies. Therefore, to reduce the stress burden and enhance mental health on medical staff, hospitals were suggested to improve their emergency management practices. In addition, the sensitization knowledge training and psychological counseling for front-line clinical staff should be strengthened.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Hu, Xu, Bu, Luo, Chang and Mao.