Evaluation of the mental health of health professionals in the COVID-19 era. What mental health conditions are our health care workers facing in the new wave of coronavirus?

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to analyse the mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of a broad sample of healthcare workers (HCWs) in Spain and to identify potential factors that have a significant effect on their mental health and HRQoL. METHOD: This prospective cohort study comprised 2089 HCWs who completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the health-related quality of life Questionnaire (EQ-5D). Sociodemographic and clinical data in relation to Covid-19 were also recorded. Descriptive statistics, univariable analysis and multivariable linear regression models were applied to identify factors associated with mental health and HRQoL. RESULTS: 80.87% of participants were female and 19.13% male; 82.38% were aged under 55 years; 39.13% were physicians and 50.17% were nurses or auxiliaries; 80.42% of the health workers have directly treated patients with Covid-19 and 12.28% have themselves tested positive for Covid-19. 38.58% of HCWs had clinical depression; over half (51.75%) had clinical anxiety; 60.4% had clinical stress; and 21.57% had clinical insomnia. Older professionals (>55 years) reported lower rates of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress. Having worked directly with Covid-19 patients appears to be an explanatory variable of suffering greater anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia, and of having a worse HRQoL amongst our HCWs. The group of HCWs suffering the worst mental state were nursing home workers. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that symptomatology of anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and HRQoL were affected amongst HCW during the Covid-19 pandemic.