The mental health of the health care professionals in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

B Shivananda Nayak; Krishnamohan Surapaneni; Pradeep Kumar Sahu; Purnima Bhoi; K V N Dhananjay; Santhi Silambanan; C R Wilma Delphine Silvia; Dhanush Nayak; K Nagendra; M Balachandra Naidu; Akash S Nayak; B Shivananda Nayak; Krishnamohan Surapaneni; Pradeep Kumar Sahu; Purnima Bhoi; K V N Dhananjay; Santhi Silambanan; C R Wilma Delphine Silvia; Dhanush Nayak; K Nagendra; M Balachandra Naidu; Akash S Nayak

doi:10.3934/medsci.2022011

AIMS Medical Science

2022, Volume 9, Issue 2: 283-292. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2022011

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Research article

The mental health of the health care professionals in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Running title:Short title: COVID-19 and its impact on mental health

1.
Department of Biochemistry, Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences, Purle, Shimoga, Karnataka, India
2.
Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
3.
Department of Biochemistry, Panimalar Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Tamilnadu, India
4.
Centre for Medical Sciences Education, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
5.
KIIT School of Public Health, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
6.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health, South Hospital Complex, Dharmaram College Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
7.
Department of Biochemistry, Sri Ramachandra Medical University, Tamilnadu, India
8.
Department of Biochemistry, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
9.
Department of ENT, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, India
10.
Department of Biochemistry, Great Eastern Medical School and Hospital, Srikakulam, Andrapradesh, India
11.
Department of General Surgery, Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Karnataka, India

Received: 19 December 2021 Revised: 02 April 2022 Accepted: 10 April 2022 Published: 20 April 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in dramatic challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. There has been an increased awareness to protect frontline workers from COVID-19 exposure and its consequences. To assess the prevalence of healthcare professionals in India during the COVID-19, a cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with healthcare professionals from medical colleges and hospitals from different states across the country. The study comprised 772 healthcare professionals aged ≥18 years. The main outcome measures studied were anxiety, depression, and stress. Among the healthcare professionals, 37.17%, 33.68%, and 23.7% were reported to have anxiety, depression, and stress respectively. The physicians, female, aged population, and professionals sleeping less than 7 hours are more prone to psychological problems. The results of this study predict the high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among healthcare professionals in different states of India. Increased COVID-19 cases, high pressure, workload, and lack of training are the main reasons for the psychological problems in healthcare professionals. Proper strategies must be followed in healthcare settings to reduce the burden of stress.
- COVID-19,
- healthcare professionals,
- anxiety,
- depression,
- stress
Citation: B Shivananda Nayak, Krishnamohan Surapaneni, Pradeep Kumar Sahu, Purnima Bhoi, K V N Dhananjay, Santhi Silambanan, C R Wilma Delphine Silvia, Dhanush Nayak, K Nagendra, M Balachandra Naidu, Akash S Nayak. The mental health of the health care professionals in India during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study[J]. AIMS Medical Science, 2022, 9(2): 283-292. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2022011

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in dramatic challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. There has been an increased awareness to protect frontline workers from COVID-19 exposure and its consequences. To assess the prevalence of healthcare professionals in India during the COVID-19, a cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with healthcare professionals from medical colleges and hospitals from different states across the country. The study comprised 772 healthcare professionals aged ≥18 years. The main outcome measures studied were anxiety, depression, and stress. Among the healthcare professionals, 37.17%, 33.68%, and 23.7% were reported to have anxiety, depression, and stress respectively. The physicians, female, aged population, and professionals sleeping less than 7 hours are more prone to psychological problems. The results of this study predict the high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among healthcare professionals in different states of India. Increased COVID-19 cases, high pressure, workload, and lack of training are the main reasons for the psychological problems in healthcare professionals. Proper strategies must be followed in healthcare settings to reduce the burden of stress.

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to thank Dr. Shivanand Maharaj, Department of Surgery, Port of Spain General Hospital, Trinidad, for helping in preparing the questionnaire.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this paper.

References

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