Symptom characteristics of health care workers seeking outpatient psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source avec lien : American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 66(6). 10.1002/ajim.23478

Bien que de plus en plus d’études établissent l’impact psychologique négatif du COVID-19 chez les travailleurs de la santé, il y a comparativement moins d’études évaluant la présentation des symptômes et les diagnostics cliniques chez les travailleurs de la santé en quête d’un traitement. Le présent rapport vise à combler cette lacune de la littérature en établissant la prévalence de l’anxiété, de la dépression, du stress post-traumatique, de l’abus d’alcool et du bien-être chez les travailleurs de la santé en quête de traitement.

Background Though there is a growing body of research establishing a broad negative psychological impact of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs), there are comparably fewer studies evaluating symptom presentation and clinical diagnoses among treatment-seeking HCWs. The present report seeks to fill this gap in the literature by establishing the prevalence of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, alcohol misuse, and well-being among treatment-seeking HCWs. Method Data were collected from 421 treatment-seeking HCWs in an outpatient hospital-based mental health setting. Both self-report measures and semi-structured interviews were utilized to assess symptom severity and render psychiatric diagnosis at intake. Results Adjustment disorders were the most prevalent diagnosis at 44.2%. Of the 347 who completed self-report measures, over 47% endorsed moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, with 13% endorsing suicidal ideation (SI). Fifty-eight percent scored in the moderate-to-severe range for anxiety, and 19% screened positive for COVID-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Further analyses revealed that those in medical support roles endorsed significantly greater depression symptoms relative to other groups and also reported SI at greater frequency. Medical trainees also endorsed SI at higher frequencies. Conclusions These findings are consistent with previous research on the adverse impact of COVID-19 stressors on HCWs’ mental health. We further identified vulnerable groups that are underrepresented in the literature. These findings highlight the need for targeted outreach and intervention among overlooked HCWs populations.

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