Psychological impact of covid-19
on health care workers
Lt. Naila Shoukat
Foreword…
During a crisis such as the COVID-19
pandemic, it is common for everyone to
experience increased levels of distress and
anxiety, particularly as a result of social
isolation. Health Care workers are particularly
vulnerable to negative mental health effects
as they strive to balance the duty of caring for
patients with concerns about their own well-
being and that of their family and friends
What is Mental Health?
• According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), mental health is “a state of well-being
in which the individual realizes his or her own
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of
life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is
able to make a contribution to his or her
community”
Why it Matters?
“You have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first”
Tremendous effect on ability to think, act, and
empathize.
A health care worker has to be mentally healthy to
psychologically manage the patients
Job related tasks
long shifts
personal lives.
A Cross-Sectional Study
• Study among HCWs of the Punjab province of Pakistan
from 15th April-20th May 2020 with 398 respondents
• 52% - medical doctors
• 33.4% - nurses
• 15.1% Pharmacist
• 28% - COVID-19 isolation wards
• 5% - COVID-19 intensive care units
• Results
• Anxiety 21.4%
• Depression 21.9%
Stressors
The continuous spread of COVID-19
Risk of getting infected
Transmitting it to love-ones,
Increased work load,
Physical exhaustion
Shortage of personal protective equipment
The need to make ethically difficult decisions on rationing of care can
profoundly influence the physical as well as mental well-being of HCWs
Poor relationship between family/relatives/friends
Worry about public not complying with disease control measures
Fear that the disease will not be controlled and persist in the country
for a very long time.
Psychological issues
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep disturbances
• Panic attacks
• Posttraumatic stress symptoms
• Avoidance of contact
• Depressive tendencies and helplessness
Case Study
Case Study
• Regarding the coping strategies, Eisenberg and colleagues have
reported two major components namely “avoidant coping” and
“approach coping” in the Brief-COPE [27]. The humour and religion
subscales were not included in either component as they did not
exclusively load on either of the abovementioned components.
Avoidant Coping was described by the subscales of denial, substance
use, venting, behavioural disengagement, self-distraction, and self-
blame. These coping styles are not ideal at managing anxiety and stress
[27]. On the other hand, approach coping is characterized by the
subscales of active coping, positive reframing, planning, acceptance,
seeking emotional, and informational support. Compared to avoidant
coping, these have been associated with better responses to adversity,
including adaptive practical adjustment, better physical health
outcomes and more stable emotional responding.