Evaluation of Health Anxiety in Healthcare Workers During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Ardakani, Mehdi Behjati; Aghamolaei, Teamur; Azad, Mehdi Hassani; Soleimani-Ahmadi, Moussa; Zare, Fatemeh; Khademian, Marzieh; Zare, Mohammad Reza; Sani, Hadi Eshaghi; Madani, Abdoulhossain; Zare, Mehdi

doi:10.34172/ddj.2021.11

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 19 publications

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“…Since our study was conducted on frontline nurses who directly cared for COVID patients, it is reasonable that the level of health anxiety in these nurses is high. Consistent with this finding, in other studies, the level of health anxiety of the medical staff, especially the frontline nurses, was high [ 9 , 17 , 18 , 50 ]. Frontline nurses face much more psychological stress due to their work environment.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Correlation between COVID-19-related health anxiety and coping styles among frontline nurses

Saeedi,

Abedini,

Latif

et al. 2023

BMC Nurs

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Background The long-term epidemic of COVID-19 and its recurrence has exposed frontline nurses to mental disorders such as stress and health anxiety. High levels of health anxiety associated with COVID-19 may lead to maladaptive behaviors. There is no agreement on which coping styles are most effective against stress. Therefore, more evidence is required to find better adaptive behaviors. The present study was conducted to investigate the correlation between the level of health anxiety and the type of coping strategies used by frontline nurses fighting COVID-19. Methods This is a cross-sectional study that was performed on a convenience sample of 386 nurses who are working in the COVID department from October to December 2020, coinciding with the outbreak of the third COVID-19 peak in Iran. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, the short version of the health anxiety questionnaire, and coping inventory for stressful situations. Data were analyzed using independent T-test, U-Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests with SPSS version 23 software. Results The mean score of nurses’ health anxiety was 17.61 ± 9.26 which was more than the cut-off point for health anxiety and 59.1% of nurses had COVID-19-related health anxiety. The mean score of problem coping style (26.85 ± 5.19), was higher than emotion (18.48 ± 5.63) and avoidance (19.64 ± 5.88) coping styles and nurses mostly used problem-coping strategies to deal with anxiety caused by COVID-19. There was a positive significant correlation between the scores of health anxiety and emotion coping style (r = 0.54; P < 0.001). Conclusion Based on the findings of this study, COVID-19-related health anxiety was high in front-line nurses and those with high health anxiety were more likely to use emotion-based coping strategies, which are ineffective. Therefore, considering strategies to reduce nurses’ health anxiety and holding training programs on effective coping methods in epidemic conditions are recommended.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Correlation between COVID-19-related health anxiety and coping styles among frontline nurses

Saeedi,

Abedini,

Latif

et al. 2023

BMC Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Predictors of COVID-19-related health anxiety among health care workers: a cross-sectional study

2022

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Background One of the psychological issues that may affect health care workers (HCWs) during the outbreak of COVID-19 is health anxiety. Health anxiety disorder goes beyond normal health concerns and can seriously affect occupational and interpersonal performance. The present study was designed to determine the level of COVID-19-related health anxiety and its predictors in Iranian HCWs. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. Data were collected online through a demographic information questionnaire and the short version of the Health Anxiety Questionnaire. The online questionnaires were created via Google Form and the URL link was sent to HCWs via email or social networking applications. In total, questionnaires were sent to more than 1,500 HCWs throughout Iran. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 23. Results Five hundred and fifty-two HCWs completed and sent the questionnaires. The mean scores of health anxiety of HCWs were higher than the cutoff point of health anxiety (17.28 ± 8.84) and 58.1% of HCWs had health anxiety. There was a significant inverse relationship between health anxiety score and age (r = − 0.13; P = 0.002), work experience (r = − 0.16; P < 0.001) and income level (r = − 0.097; P = 0.03). The rate of health anxiety was significantly higher in females (P = 0.03). Based on regression results, age and hospital category were significant risk factors for health anxiety. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, employees working in health centers in Iran had high health anxiety. Due to the high level of health anxiety in HCWs, it is important to consider strategies to reduce their health anxiety in the current situation.

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How Medical Staff Alleviates Job Burnout through Sports Involvement: The Mediating Roles of Health Anxiety and Self-Efficacy

Chen

Jing

Wang

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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In the current healthcare environment, job burnout among medical staff is increasingly evident. Burnout not only affects the mental and physical health and career development of individuals but also affects the quality of care and the doctor–patient relationship. This paper investigates the influence of sports involvement on burnout in medical staff based on the job demands–resources theory, focusing on the mediating role of health anxiety and self-efficacy in the relationship between sports involvement and job burnout. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 444 medical staff in public hospitals in Wuhan, China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with a bootstrapping approach was conducted to test the hypothesis and mediating effects. It was found that health anxiety and self-efficacy played a significant mediating role between sports involvement and job burnout. The results indicate the important role that sports involvement plays in addressing burnout, revealing that decreasing health anxiety and increasing self-efficacy attenuated job burnout. This finding suggests that hospital administrators should not only pay attention to medical staff’s health conditions and improve their enthusiasm for work but also encourage them to become more engaged in sports.

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Evaluation of Health Anxiety in Healthcare Workers During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Cited by 3 publications

References 19 publications

Correlation between COVID-19-related health anxiety and coping styles among frontline nurses

Correlation between COVID-19-related health anxiety and coping styles among frontline nurses

Predictors of COVID-19-related health anxiety among health care workers: a cross-sectional study

How Medical Staff Alleviates Job Burnout through Sports Involvement: The Mediating Roles of Health Anxiety and Self-Efficacy

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