Revisiting COVID-19 and Occupational Mental Health

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the frequency of psychological sequelae of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs) conducted at The Aga University Hospital, from May to July 2020. The data collection was done online using a demographics questionnaire, concern of COVID-19 scale, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and Impact of event scale. A total of 560 responses were received. Nearly 25% of participants had moderate to severe anxiety or psychological distress due to COVID-19. Female responders reported more anxiety compared to males. (p= 0.001. The doctors and nurses reported significant psychological distress (p=0.046). The participants with moderate to severe anxiety and psychological distress reported statistically significant high levels of concern of the following: inadequate protective measures, contracting and spreading COVID-19, medical violence, and deteriorating quality of patient interaction due to COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted areas of development for occupational healthcare policy development in Pakistan. Implementation of contextualised solutions, especially psychosocial determinants is necessary to mitigate the invisible mental health burden and its impact on HCWs in Pakistan.