Anxiety and Health Concerns among Healthcare Personnel Working with COVID-19 Patients: A Self-Assessment Study

Abstract

Background

Anxiety disorders are currently among the most common psychiatric diagnoses. This study aimed to analyze self-assessment of anxiety disorders, depression, and quality of life among healthcare personnel working during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on sociodemographic sources and psychological indicators.

Material/Methods

The study covered a group of 318 healthcare professionals from Poland. The study used a self-created questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, WHOQOL-BREF, Generalised Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), and Leibowitz Social Anxiety Scale.

Results

In the study group, 71.1% of the respondents had coronavirus infection, and only 3.5% were not vaccinated. Almost half (45.6%) of the respondents in this group made independent decisions about performing work (45.6%), and 93.4% were satisfied with their work.

Less than half of respondents (46.5%) felt work-related anxiety during the pandemic, 54.7% of respondents reported symptoms of depression, and 57% had a good quality of life.

Nearly half (47.2%) of the respondents rated their health as good, but 53.1% feared deterioration after performing the aforementioned work, while 87.1% constantly or periodically felt anxious about their work.

Conclusions

Although the respondents usually made their own decisions about working with coronavirus-infected patients, most of them experienced anxiety related to their work during the pandemic and were afraid of damaging their health and contracting COVID-19. In self-assessment using standardized questionnaires, most respondents did not show an increase in generalized or social anxiety, but to a greater or lesser extent were diagnosed with a depressive episode. The majority of respondents had a good quality of life: the highest aspect regarded physical functioning and the lowest regarded social functioning.