Prevalence of psychological disorders among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Gheshlagh, Reza Ghanei and Hassanpour-Dehkordi, Ali and Moradi, Yousef and Zahednezhad, Hosein and Mazaheri, Elaheh and Kurdi, Amanj (2023) Prevalence of psychological disorders among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic : a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14 (1). 25. ISSN 2008-8213 (https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_212_21)

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Abstract

Repeated contact with patients with COVID-19 and working in quarantine conditions has made health workers vulnerable to psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the prevalence of the various psychological distresses among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for access to papers examining psychological distress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Heterogeneity among the studies was examined using the Cochran's Q test; because heterogeneity was significant, the random effects model was used to examine the prevalence of psychological distress. Overall, 12 studies with a total sample size of 5265 were eligible and included in the analysis. Prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were 20% (95% CI: 14-27), 23% (95% CI: 18-27), and 8% (95% CI: 6-9), respectively. The highest prevalence rates of depression and anxiety were related to the SDS and the GAD-7, respectively, and the lowest prevalence rates of the two aforementioned variables were related to the DASS-21. The high prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic can have negative effects on their health and the quality of services provided. Therefore, training coping strategies for psychological distress in this pandemic seems necessary. [Abstract copyright: Copyright: © 2023 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.]

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