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AimHealthcare workers have directly provided care for COVID-19 patients, and have faced many additional sources leading to poor mental health. The study aimed to investigate the mental health problems and related factors among healthcare staff in Vietnam.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods study, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, was performed among 400 healthcare workers working at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Ninh Binh General Hospital from the first day of treatment for COVID-19 patients to May 01, 2020.ResultsThe results showed that 8.0% of participants had stress, 17.5% of participants had anxiety, and 14.8% of participants had depression. Approximately 50% of participants reported that they had at least one of these symptoms. The findings illustrated that stress, anxiety, and depression were associated with the position in a hospital, health status during the COVID-19 pandemic, family members/relatives infected with COVID-19, physical and mental support from friends, family, and community, department, years of working, and the average work hours per day of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19.ConclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers who worked in the hospital providing treatment and care for COVID-19 patients dealt with mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. It is necessary to promote mental health among healthcare workers, to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam.

BackgroundDepression is the leading burden of mental disease, especially in low-and-middle-income countries like Vietnam. The Stepped Care Model is a promising approach to managing depression in the community with low resources. This is the first study that implemented the adapted Stepped Care Model for depression management in the Vietnamese context and evaluated the initial effectiveness of this community-based intervention in the Thai Nguyen community.Materials and methodsA quasi-experimental study with a 3-month follow-up was conducted in 10 selected communes in Thai Nguyen province. The most important modifications in the Stepped Care Model for depression management were the screening focused on the high-risk individuals living in the community; the combination of 8-session group psychotherapy with animation activities at commune health stations (CHS); and using psychotherapy as first-line treatment. From August 2020 to January 2021, quantitative data were collected using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form. The descriptive analyses were performed to describe the demographic characteristics and the change in the questionnaires' mean score at the baseline and 3-month follow-up.ResultsA total of 1,891 people were approached in the community, of which 359 voluntary people met the study criteria and attended group psychotherapy. During group psychotherapy, the average PHQ-9 scores gradually decreased, and after the 8th session, this figure dropped by 2.65 times compared to the beginning. After 3 months, the percentage of the group with mild-moderate depression shrank from 95.5 to 9.3%, and there were no more severe cases. Moreover, life satisfaction increased by 32% and the anxiety level significantly dropped according to Q-LES-Q-SF and GAD-7 accordingly.ConclusionThe preliminary results after 3-month follow-up showed that the Stepped Care Model with group psychotherapy at the CHS was promising to manage the depression in the community. This task shifting approach with limited resources should be further disseminated and studied for long-term effectiveness in low-and-middle-income countries like Vietnam.

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