Mental Health Status of Paediatric Medical Workers in China During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Background: A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has occurred in China, and national medical workers have been thrown into this silent battle. Paediatric medical workers have been an important part of this battle and under enormous pressure. This paper evaluates the depression, anxiety, and stress of paediatric medical staff during the epidemic and examines related impact factors. Methods: We conducted this study using online questionnaires via social networking software during the week of Feb. 17 to Feb. 23, 2020. The 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), which is a revised, simplified version of the original DASS developed by Lovibond et al., was used in this study. Results: Among all 2,031 respondents, 14.81%, 18.3%, and 9.98% had depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, respectively. Males, doctors, individuals aged between 31-60 years, those with senior job titles, those who had contact with patients with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, those who worked on the clinical frontlines fighting the epidemic and those who had experience combating similar outbreaks were more likely to have depression, anxiety or stress symptoms. Respondents in Beijing and Chongqing had lower negative psychological symptom scores than the national average. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 outbreak, depression, anxiety and stress are present to varying degrees among paediatric medical workers across the country. Psychological crisis interventions should be implemented to protect the mental health of paediatric medical workers during and after the epidemic.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 and other viral epidemics on frontline healthcare workers and ways to address it: A rapid systematic review

“…Interestingly, one study ( Chan et al., 2005 ) of 1,470 nurses, showed that nurses in moderate-risk areas appeared to have more stress symptoms than those working in high-risk areas, but the reasons for this remain unclear. Alternate findings were depicted in two studies ( Chan and Huak, 2004 ; Liu et al., 2020b ) where doctors and single nurses were found to be at higher risk compared to nurses and those who were married, and doctors had more stress and anxiety compared to nurses. Further, 27% of participants (177 of 660) had psychiatric symptoms, with the doctors being 1.6 times more likely to experience psychiatric symptoms than nurses, and 20% (127 of 651) had PTSD.…”

“…(2020) ( Liu et al., 2020a ) China Cross-sectional COVID-19 512 healthcare staff working in a clinical department (369), fever clinics (68) and administration (75) 11 days, February 2020 SAS Y. Liu et al. (2020) ( Liu et al., 2020b ) China Cross-sectional COVID-19 2,073 doctors and nurses 7 days, February 2020 DASS-21 Lu et al. (2020) ( Lu et al., 2020 ) China Cross-sectional COVID-19 2,042 medical staff and 257 administrative staff, with 213 working in isolation wards 2 days, February 2020 NRS, HAMA and HAMD Lung et al.…”

“…The most common psychiatric disorders diagnosed were post-trauma stress syndrome (PTSS), depression and anxiety, as assessed in 32 studies ( Ji et al., 2017 ; Wu et al., 2009 ; Chan and Huak, 2004 ; Rossi et al., 2020 ; García-Fernández et al., 2020 ; Liu et al., 2020a ; Kang et al., 2020 ; Zhang et al., 2020b ; Mo et al. ; Zhou et al., 2020 ; Xiaoming et al., 2020 ; Wilson et al., 2020 ; Wasim et al., 2020 ; Wańkowicz et al., 2020 ; Wang et al., 2020 ; Tian et al., 2020 ; Shechter et al., 2020 ; Sandesh et al., 2020 ; Pouralizadeh et al., 2020 ; Liu et al., 2020b ; Lin et al., 2020 ; Korkmaz et al., 2020 ; Juan et al., 2020 ; Hu et al., 2020 ; Hong et al., 2020 ; Elbay et al., 2020 ; Du et al., 2020 ; Di Tella et al., 2020 ; Chew et al., 2020 ; Cai et al., 2020b ; An et al., 2020 ; Bai et al., 2004 ). In the COVID-19 pandemic, somatization was reported frequently ( Xiaoming et al., 2020 ; Juan et al., 2020 ; Hong et al., 2020 ) with 42.7% (2,005 of 4,692) of frontline nurses identifying somatic symptoms ( Hong et al., 2020 ), particularly headaches, throat pain and lethargy, which were significantly associated with psychological outcomes ( Chew et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Female nurses with close contact to COVID-19 patients appeared to have the highest mental health risks ( Pouralizadeh et al., 2020 ), ( Romero et al., 2020 ; Elbay et al., 2020 ) However, it is important to note that most studies included predominantly female participants, especially nurses, with only one study suggesting higher stress levels amongst males ( Liu et al., 2020b ). Specifically, being female conferred greater risks for depression, anxiety and higher levels of stress ( Xiaoming et al., 2020 ; Pouralizadeh et al., 2020 ; Elbay et al., 2020 ; Du et al., 2020 ; Di Tella et al., 2020 ; Babore et al., 2020 ) Suicidal ideation was identified amongst 6.5% (306 of 4,692) of HCWs with lower self-perceived health status listed as an additional risk factor ( Xiaoming et al., 2020 ; Hong et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Similarly, anxiety and insomnia were significantly higher in frontline HCWs compared to non-frontline HCWs ( Wańkowicz et al., 2020 ; Lin et al., 2020 ; Cai et al., 2020b ). Eight studies compared doctors and nurses ( Tam et al., 2004 ; Maunder et al., 2004 ; Lung et al., 2009 ; Lai et al., 2020 ; Liu et al., 2020b ; Korkmaz et al., 2020 ; Wong et al., 2005 ; Chan et al., 2005 ). Four of these studies focused on SARS and found that nurses experienced greater levels of stress.…”