Psychological Responses Among Healthcare Workers Providing Care for Patients with COVID-19: A Web-Based Cross-Sectional Survey in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a pandemic of international concern that has caused significant physical and psychological health challenges to healthcare workers worldwide. This study aimed to assess and evaluate the psychological responses of healthcare workers who provided hands-on care for patients with COVID-19 at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as it was converted to a dedicated COVID-19 hospital during the pandemic. Methods This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design to recruit 500 participants at KFMC between April 10 and May 5, 2020. This study used the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to assess the psychological responses among the study participants. Results The findings of this study showed that of 500 respondents, 304 (60.9%) reported having depressive symptoms, 281 (56.3%), 318 (63.3%) having stress and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, 250 participants (50%) who lived with their families reported severe stress and anxiety. However, the results of our study indicated that healthcare workers were committed to providing care to COVID-19 patients. Conclusions Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were highly prevalent among healthcare workers at KFMC. Therefore, there is an urgent need for psychological interventions to identify healthcare workers with heavy psychological burdens.

Arab nursing students' perception of the emotional experience of patient care: A phenomenological study

“…The findings of this study support that a person can perceive someone else's emotional state and be touched by the suffering of others 5,32,33 . However, from a cognition point of view, our nursing students could understand their patients' situation.…”

“…The findings of this study support that a person can perceive someone else's emotional state and be touched by the suffering of others. 5,32,33 However, from a cognition point of view, our nursing students could understand their patients' situation. This implies that a hermeneutic movement could have been represented here because this movement allowed shifting between alienation and dedication.…”

Depression, anxiety and stress after COVID-19 vaccination: A retrospective cross-sectional study among health care providers

“…20 Depression, anxiety and stress scale was employed by various studies: Szmyd et al, 2021, this study was conducted among 2300 HCPs in Poland, its reliability was (Cronbach's α = 0.928), 2 Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2020, a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 1003 population in northern Spain, its reliability was (α = 0.76, 0.82, and 0.75 for depression, anxiety and stress respectively), 1 and Abuzied et al, 2021, this study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 500 subjects were enrolled using a descriptive cross-sectional design. 21 In the current study, we determined HCPs' mental status, especially anxiety, stress, and depression in Iraq for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic between June 18 and June 29, 2021. The results of our study showed that the majority of our participants have a normal level of depression, anxiety and stress subscales with aspect regarding vaccination with one of the COVID-19 vaccines.…”

“…Depression, anxiety and stress scale was employed by various studies: Szmyd et al, 2021, this study was conducted among 2300 HCPs in Poland, its reliability was (Cronbach’s α = 0.928), 2 Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al, 2020, a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 1003 population in northern Spain, its reliability was (α = 0.76, 0.82, and 0.75 for depression, anxiety and stress respectively), 1 and Abuzied et al, 2021, this study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 500 subjects were enrolled using a descriptive cross-sectional design. 21 …”

“…The highest scores indicated severe depression, anxiety and/or stress symptoms. The interpretation of depression subscale as follows: normal (0-9), mild (10-13), moderate (14-20), severe (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27), extremely severe (28+), for anxiety, normal (0-7), mild (8-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19), extremely severe (20+), and for stress normal (0-14), mild (15)(16)(17)(18), moderate (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), severe (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33), extremely severe (34+). 17 The scale was piloted to 30 individuals and Cronbach's alpha (α) was used to measure reliability.…”