Stress and Coping Strategies of Health Care Workers During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Since the onset of the current epidemic of COVID-19 infection among humans in Wuhan, China and it’s spreading around the globe causing heavy impacts on physical and mental health, especially health care workers. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of stress among health care workers and their coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted from July 1st to August 30th, 2021. It included health care workers within Mansoura city dealing with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. An online self-administered questionnaire; 17 questions, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and Mini-COPE Inventory (COPE-28). Results: A total of 227 health care workers responded the questionnaire with mean stress score of 27.77±4.76SD. Prevalence of severe stress was 21.1% that appeared more among divorced or widow health care workers (OR=4.75), working directly with COVID-19 patients, in primary health units, not satisfied with their income with present history of comorbidity or psychiatric disease (OR=2.13, OR=5.9) and with minimal sleeping duration. There was statistically significant positive correlation between total stress score and each strategy of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Conclusion: High job demands, increased work responsibilities, fear from infection transmission and many other stressors have put health care workers under unusual level of stress during COVID-19 pandemic.