Psychosocial factors associated with mental health among Colombian psychologists: Findings from the PSY-COVID study after the most restrictive phases of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that healthcare workers are at a high risk of experiencing poor mental health. Objective: To examine the associations between various psychosocial factors (i.e., gender, age, income level, LGBTQIA+ status, posttraumatic growth, perceived stress, and resilience) and three clinically relevant mental health outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, and psychological distress) among Colombian psychologists following the most restrictive phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A cross-sectional online study was conducted between December 1st, 2021, and April 30th, 2022. Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress symptoms were assessed using the PHQ-2, the GAD-2, and the PHQ-4, respectively. Prevalences and prevalence ratios by socioeconomic and psychological variables were also estimated. Results: Of the 1,297 participants, the majority were female (78%) and had a mean age of 39.2 (SD = 11.5). In total, 27.5% reported depression, 25.4% anxiety, and 17.5% psychological distress symptoms. Depression and psychological distress were higher among females and younger psychologists. Psychological distress was higher among LGBTQIA+ psychologists. Lower posttraumatic growth and resilience and higher perceived stress were associated with higher depression, anxiety, and psychological distress symptoms. Conclusion: These findings highlight disparities in mental health outcomes among psychologists associated with varying psychosocial factors. They also highlight the need to offer psychologists resources to improve their psychological adaptation to stressful circumstances related to future public health emergencies.