Healthcare workers’ distress and perceived discrimination related to COVID‐19 in Colombia

Abstract

This study examined the association of perceived discrimination related to COVID‐19 with psychological distress in healthcare workers in the Colombian Caribbean region. The authors designed and conducted a cross‐sectional study, recruiting a non‐probabilistic sample by email or instant messaging. Participants filled out a questionnaire including scales for perceived discrimination, anxiety, depression, perceived stress related to COVID‐19, and suicide risk. Healthcare workers ( n = 150) aged 18 to 68 years participated; of these, 72% were women, and the breakdown by occupation was 39.3% nursing assistants, 18.0% nurses, and 42.7% physicians. Perceived discrimination scores showed positive correlations with depressive symptoms among nursing assistants and physicians ( r s = 0.34), and suicide risk in nursing assistants ( r s = 0.35) and physicians ( r s = 0.31). Among nurses, all measurements were independent of perceived discrimination. Nursing assistants scored highest in perceived discrimination. Physicians scored higher for COVID‐19 perceived stress than nursing assistants, and nurses showed similar scores to physicians. In conclusion, perceived discrimination is related to depressive symptoms and suicide risk among nursing assistants and physicians. Nursing assistants report more perceived discrimination than nurses and physicians.

Relation of perceived discrimination with depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress in COVID-19 survivors

“…However, Mahmoudi et al (2021) , in COVID-19 survivors, documented that internalized stigma scores were statistically significantly associated with scores for insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Likewise, Campo-Arias et al (2021) observed, in health workers (nursing assistants and doctors), that a measure of perceived discrimination showed a significant positive correlation with depressive symptoms. Discrimination represents an additional critical stressor in any context ( Meyer, 2003 ).…”

“…In healthcare workers, Zandifar et al (2020) , in 894 participants in Iran, observed a high correlation between perceived stigma and post-traumatic stress scores. In Colombia, Campo-Arias et al (2021) , in 150 health workers, found that scores on perceived discrimination were positively correlated with scores on depressive symptoms among nursing assistants and physicians.…”

Feeling Anxious Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factors Associated With Anxiety Symptoms Among Nurses in Hong Kong

“…On a dichotomous scale (1 as yes, 0 as no), a higher sum score represented higher perceived stigma of being a healthcare worker. A similar scoring method was also used in another study measuring perceived stigma among healthcare workers in Columbia (Campo-Arias et al, 2021). We conducted a supplementary exploratory factor analysis to examine the dimensionality of the items.…”

COVID-19-related stress in postpartum women from Argentina during the second wave in 2021: Identification of impairing and protective factors

“…The study of stress focuses on the identification of environmental stressors, subjective perceptions, affective cognitive-behavioural reactions, and physiological responses ( Lee, 2012 ). One of the most recognized instruments for evaluating psychological stress is the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which has been adapted for the current epidemiological context ( Campo-Arias et al, 2021 ). PSS focuses on how individuals perceive stress, which reflects an imbalance between situational demands and the resources to cope with it ( Chiu et al, 2016 ).…”