Factors Affecting the Psychological Well-Being of Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are a group that especially suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to facthe stress of dealing with patients and social isolation, they had to worry about being infected themselves and transmitting the infectto their families. This study evaluated the fear, anxiety, and depression experienced by HCWs during the COVID-19 crisis. Subjects and Methods: The sample size was 541 HCWs. Data collection was done using an online validated questionnaire throuGoogle Docs, sent to HCWs by email and WhatsApp groups. We assessed depression and anxiety with the 4-item Patient HeaQuestionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), while evaluating fear with the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Results: A statistically significant difference was found in the perception of fear between married and unmarried people, and betwethose with colleagues who had died from COVID-19 infection and those without. There was a significant relation between HCWanxiety and a history of death from COVID-19 infection, either of friends or of close relatives. The prevalence of depression w18.48% in the tested sample of HCWs. Participants who had close relatives or friends infected with COVID-19 showed a significanhigher degree of depression. The age group <30 and those working 20 to 30 hours weekly showed higher degrees of anxiety adepression. Conclusion: Sociodemographic variables such as age, marital status, and working area had a significant impact on the mental apsychological health of HCWs during the COVID-19 crisis. HCWs who lost patients due to COVID-19 had a significantly higprevalence of fear, depression, and anxiety.