Depression and anxiety symptoms among returning workers during the COVID-19 period in East China

Abstract

Purpose To determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety and associated factors among returning workers with different epidemic experience in East China. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2435 employees from the enterprises located in Deqing (low-risk epidemic area) and Taizhou (high-risk epidemic area) of East China in March 2020. An online questionnaire covered information on sociodemographic and lifestyle factors as well as knowledge, attitude, behavior and experience about COVID-19. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were applied to assess depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Logistic regression model was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for depression and anxiety symptoms associated with risk factors. Results The participants were aged 36.3 ± 9.2 years on average, and nearly half of them were female. Overall, the prevalence of depression, anxiety and both were 19.4%, 12.3% and 9.8%, and decreased with age. After adjustment for covariates, 16 or more years of education, being a white-collar worker or working in the high-risk epidemic area were significantly associated with increased risks of both depression and anxiety, in contract regular physical exercise was associated with decreased risks of both mental disorders. Conclusion The depression and anxiety problems were prevalent among returning workers during the COVID-19 period. Targeted psychological interventions should be developed and implemented to improve their mental health.

The Prevalence of Psychological Status During the COVID-19 Epidemic in China: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The respondents of seven studies came from Hubei province (Cao H. et al, 2020 ; Fu et al, 2020 ; Huo et al, 2020 ; Luo F. et al, 2020 ; Yang T. et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2020 ; Zhou and Liu, 2020 ); the respondents of the thirteen studies came from provinces and cities other than Hubei province (Cao H. et al, 2020 ; Deng and Lei, 2020 ; Fu et al, 2020 ; Guo L. et al, 2020 ; Huo et al, 2020 ; Lin G. et al, 2020 ; Liu Z. et al, 2020 ; Sun Q. et al, 2020 ; Tan et al, 2020 ; Yang B. et al, 2020 ; Yang L. et al, 2020 ; Yang S. et al, 2020 ; Zhang J. et al, 2020 ).…”

Chronic low back pain during COVID-19 lockdown: is there a paradox effect?

“…The mechanism could be twofolded, as the Chinese study points out. Indeed, Yang et al found in their Chinese series that regular physical at-home workouts were significantly related to a decrease in the risk of developing depression and anxiety symptoms [ 26 ]. Regular physical exercise might reduce the risk of mental disorders that occur during the pandemic [ 27 ] and therefore decrease the emotional and psychological components of pain.…”

Quality of life during the epidemic of COVID-19 and its associated factors among enterprise workers in East China

“…We carried out a cross-sectional study among the employees who had returned to work in Deqing and Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China, from 5 March 2020 to 14 March 2020, the study design of which has been described previously [29,30]. At the beginning of our investigation, there were 3 confirmed cases in Deqing and 146 cases in Taizhou, and Deqing was classified as a low risk area and Taizhou as a high risk area for COVID-19 epidemic [31].…”