scholarly journals COVID-19 outbreak–related psychological distress among healthcare trainees: a cross-sectional study in China

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e041671
Author(s):  
Yue Wang ◽  
Yuchen Li ◽  
Jingwen Jiang ◽  
Yuying Feng ◽  
Donghao Lu ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 outbreak has caused enormous strain on healthcare systems, and healthcare trainees, which comprise the future healthcare workforce, may be a vulnerable group. It is essential to assess the psychological distress experienced by healthcare trainees during the COVID-19 outbreak.Design, setting and participantsA cross-sectional study with 4184 healthcare trainees at Sichuan University in China was implemented during 7–13 February 2020. Participants were grouped by training programmes (medicine, medical technology and nursing) and training stages (undergraduate, postgraduate and residency).Main outcomesCOVID-19–related psychological distress and acute stress reaction (ASR) were assessed using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale and the Impact of Event Scale–Revised, respectively. We estimated the ORs of distress by comparing trainees across programmes and training stages using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsSignificant psychological distress was found in 1150 (30.90%) participants and probable ASR in 403 (10.74%). Compared with the nursing trainees, the medical trainees (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.95) reported a higher burden of psychological distress during the outbreak, while the medical technology trainees (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.62) reported similar symptom scores. Postgraduates (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.08) in medicine had higher levels of distress than their undergraduate counterparts did, whereas the nursing residents (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.71) reported a lower burden than did nursing undergraduates. A positive association was found between having active clinical duties during the outbreak and distress (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.39), particularly among the medical trainees (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.33) and undergraduates (OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.61 to 11.70). No clear risk patterns of ASR symptoms were observed.ConclusionsMedical trainees, particularly postgraduates and those with active clinical duties, were at risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Stress management may be considered for high-risk healthcare trainees.

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (09) ◽  
pp. 1239-1244
Author(s):  
Umair Toqueer ◽  
Muhammad Usama Zardad ◽  
Mahwish Toqueer ◽  
Anila Riyaz ◽  
Sana Khan ◽  
...  

Objectives: To determine stress grades of doctors working in tertiary care  hospitals by using a standard measuring tool i.e. Kessler 10 psychological distress scale along with finding out different coping methods adopted by doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Tertiary Care Hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. Period: 15 March 2020 to 20 June 2020. Material & Methods: A structured questionnaire was sent online to the junior and senior doctors working during the pandemic. The data was automatically collected with the help of Google docs and then analysed using SPSS 26. Results: Of the 219 doctors who completed the questionnaire 142 were males (64.8%) and 77 were females (35.2%). Interestingly, analysis of the score revealed that 38.8% of the doctors were found likely to be well, 16.4% of the doctors were likely to have mild disease and 20.5% were likely to have a moderate disorder while 24.2% were likely to have a severe disorder. Further analysis showed that the mean of  Kessler’s score was greater for junior doctors as  compared to Consultants which was found to be statistically significant (p=0.044). Conclusion: The impact of Corona virus disease (COVID-19) on the stress levels of health workers warrants considerable attention as it was declared a pandemic. Assessing the psychological impact and ways to tackle them will not only help the health care workers during this pandemic but will be beneficial in future pandemics as well.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e034523
Author(s):  
Mohammed Nazim Uddin ◽  
Fakir M Amirul Islam

ObjectivesThis investigation expected to validate the psychometric properties of the modified seven-item Kessler psychological distress scale (K7) for measuring psychological distress in healthy rural population of Bangladesh.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingNarail district, Bangladesh.ParticipantsA random sample of 300 adults of age 18–90 years were recruited. Face-to-face interviews were conducted between July and August 2018 using an Android phone installed with a mobile data collection application known as CommCare.Outcome measureValidation of the K7 was the major outcome. Sociodemographic factors were measured to assess for Differential Item Functioning to check if the tool functions equally in different factors. Rasch analysis was carried out for the validation of the K7 scale in the healthy rural population of Bangladesh. RUMM2030 was used for the analyses.ResultsResults showed good overall fit, as indicated by a non-significant item-trait interaction (χ2=44.54, df=28, p=0.0245) compared with a Bonferroni adjusted p value of 0.007. Both item fit (mean=0.30, SD 1.22) and person fit residuals (mean=–0.18, SD 0.85) showed perfect fit. Reliability was very good as indicated by a Person Separation Index=0.85 and Cronbach’s alpha=0.89. All individual items were ordered thresholds. The K7 scale showed adequate reliability, unidimensionality and was free from local dependency. The K7 scale also showed similar functioning for adults and older adults, males and females, no education and any level of education, and at least some financial instability versus no financial instability.ConclusionsValidation of K7 scale confirmed that the tool is suitable for measuring psychological distress among the rural Bangladeshi population. Further research should validate the K7 scale in different rural settings in Bangladesh to determine a valid cut-off score for assessment of severity levels of psychological distress. The K7 scale should also be tested in other developing countries where sociodemographic characteristics are similar to those of Bangladesh.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah

Abstract Background Since the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at the local, national, and international levels were directed primarily to mitigate the spread of the disease. However, the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health were not thoroughly investigated yet, and studies that report the mental health risks of COVID-19 are still scarce.Objectives This study aimed to assess the level of psychological distress among university students in Jordan during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated national measures.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire, The survey comprised of questions about (i) sociodemographic information, (ii) the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), (iii) coping activities , and (iv) the students’ greatest concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results A total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). The total K10 distress scores had a mean of 34.2 (SD:9.4). However, the mean of total K10 distress scores had no significant association with gender (P=0.57). Age was negatively associated with total K10 distress score (P=0.0013). Concerning severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%), and females were found to have a statistically significant higher percentage in mild and severe psychological distress (P= 0.035), (P=0.016); respectively. 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between severe psychological distress and motivation for distance learning (P<0.0001). The most common coping strategy among students was spending more time on social media (n=269, 70.6%). Besides, 49 students (12.9%) reported the use of medications to cope with COVID-10 related distress, and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most serious concern.Conclusion The COVID-19 control measures resulted in a severe disruption of various human life activities, and this could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. A nationwide psychological support program should be incorporated into Jordan’s response strategy in combating the COVID-19, considering students and other vulnerable groups in Jordan.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e038490
Author(s):  
Men Thi Hoang ◽  
Khanh Nam Do ◽  
Hai Quang Pham ◽  
Cuong Tat Nguyen ◽  
Giang Hai Ha ◽  
...  

BackgroundPsychological distress has been known as a major health problem among farmers across the world. In Vietnam, approximately 50% of farmers have lived in rural and mountainous areas. Yet, little has been known about how psychological distress impacts mountainous farmers’ health.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the prevalence and risk factors related to psychological distress among mountainous farmers in Vietnam.Design and settingA cross-sectional study was performed from August to September 2018 in Moc Chau district, Vietnam. A structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used for data collection.ParticipantsA random sample of 197 farmers aged at least 18 years, spoke Vietnamese, was not suffering from severe diseases and residing in Moc Chau at the time of the survey were recruited.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was employed to measure psychological distress. The tobit and logistic regressions were applied to indicate associated factors.ResultsThe prevalence of psychological distress was 38.2% (95% CI 31.3% to 45.5%). Having a greater comorbidities (OR=6.17; 95% CI 1.44 to 26.43), drinking alcohol (OR=3.86; 95% CI 1.02 to 14.59) and obtaining health information from health workers (OR=3.77; 95% CI 1.22 to 11.66) were positively associated with the prevalence of psychological distress. By contrast, being overweight (OR=0.29; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.93), adopting books as the primary source of health information (OR=0.11; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.8), and receiving a higher number of home visits by community health workers (CHWs) (OR=0.38; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.99) were negatively associated with the prevalence of psychological distress.ConclusionThis study highlighted a high prevalence of psychological distress among mountainous farmers. Providing routine psychological and physical health screening, developing CHWs to provide clinical support and raising health awareness are critical implications for reducing psychological distress in this population.


2022 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hatim Yousef Alharbi ◽  
Sami S. Alharthi ◽  
Ahmed S. Alzahrani ◽  
Mohammed Khalid A. Dakhel ◽  
Ziyad Hussain Alawaji

Abstract Background Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its global health and socioeconomic aftereffects, the enduring state of crisis is increasingly impacting the coping capacity of the populations. In this study, we aimed to characterize the levels of psychological distress after the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown. Results The Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 items (DASS-21) were used to screen for post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and stress. The prevalence of PTSD was 41.6% and was associated with severe or extremely severe stress (27.8%), anxiety (31.4%), and depression (39.0%). All disorders were strongly correlated with one another. The risk of developing PTSD was independently associated with residence in high COVID-19 prevalence region (OR = 2.25, p = 0.004), poor (OR = 3.98, p = 0.002), or moderate (OR = 1.63, p = 0.048) self-assessed overall physical health, psychiatric comorbidity (OR = 1.87, p = 0.036), number of COVID-19-like symptoms (OR = 1.94, p = 0.039), and severe COVID-19 morbidity in the acquaintances (OR = 1.54, p = 0.026). Four theories were proposed to explain these high figures, with a discussion of their practical implications. Conclusions The lifting of lockdown measures was associated with a substantial increase in psychological distress among the Saudi population, referring to figures reported during the lockdown. This may indicate a decline in the overall population’s coping capacity with the enduring crisis.


Author(s):  
Alia Naaz ◽  
◽  
Mohammad Saad ◽  

Introduction: Stress and anxiety have been a common topic of discussion among the medicalstudents in normal circumstances owing to the burden of immense studies, clinical rotations, regularexams and assessments. Material and methods: A cross sectional study consisting of 330 medicalstudents studying in various medical colleges in various states like Himachal, Karnataka, Haryana,Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi etc. was conducted using online forms that were shared in variousWhatsApp college groups. The questionnaire was a simple 10 question form consisting of theKessler's psychological distress scale questions. The stress levels were defined according to theKessler's psychological distress scale k10. Results: The results of the study showed that 72.5% oftotal participants suffered from mild to moderate levels of stress with 20.6% students suffering frommild stress, 15.5% from moderate stress and significant 36.4% from severe stress. Similarly,various socio-demographic determinants have also been studied for any relation to these high stresslevels. The treatment seeking behaviour among medical students also reflected poorly when it cameto seeking help from health professionals. Conclusion: It was found that during the covid-19lockdown, medical students suffered from severe stress levels which is a topic of concern for theauthorities and calls for a timely intervention to control the situation. The treatment seekingbehaviour is also a topic of concern as medical students being most exposed to the knowledge ofmental health do not themselves prefer to take treatment from a health professional.


Author(s):  
Ala’a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah

AbstractBackgroundSince the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at national and international levels were directed to mitigate the spread of the disease and its physical harm, paying less attention to the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health especially at early stages of the pandemic.ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess and explore (i) The levels of psychological distress and its correlates (ii) Motivation for distance learning (iii) Coping activities and pandemic related concerns, among university students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 pandemicMethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire. The measure of psychological distress was obtained using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale,while other questions have explored our study’s second and third aims.ResultsA total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). Concerning distress severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%). 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. Ordinal logistic regression revealed a significant correlation between distress severity and many predictors. Among the predictors that were found to act as a protective factors against higher levels of distress included older age (aOR=0.64, P=0.022; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.94), and having a strong motivation for distance learning (aOR=0.10, P=0.048 ; 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.96). In contrary, being a current smoker (aOR=1.99, P=0.049 ; 95% CI: 1.10 - 3.39), and having no motivation for distance learning (aOR=2.49, P=0.007; 95% CI: 1.29 - 4.80) acted as risk factors for having higher levels of psychological distress among the students. The most common coping activity reported was spending more time on social media platforms (n=269, 70.6%), and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most distressing concern.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic and related control measures could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. We recommend a nationwide psychological support program to be incorporated into Jordan’s preparedness plan and response strategy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Laith Alfalah

Abstract Background Since the spread of COVID-19 on a global scale, most of efforts at national and international levels were directed to mitigate the spread of the disease and its physical harm , paying less attention to the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on global mental health especially at early stages of the pandemic. Objectives This study aimed to assess and explore (i) The levels of psychological distress and its correlates (ii) Motivation for distance learning (iii) Coping activities and pandemic related concerns, among university students in Jordan in the midst of COVID-19 pandemicMethods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online self-administered questionnaire. The measure of psychological distress was obtained using the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, while other questions have explored our study’s second and third aims.Results A total of 381 completed questionnaires were included in the analysis. Female participants slightly predominated the sample (n=199, 52.2%). The respondents aged 18-38 years (mean 22.6 years, SD: 3.16). Concerning distress severity, most of respondents were regarded as having severe psychological distress (n=265, 69.5%). 209 students (54.9%) reported that they had no motivation for distance learning. Ordinal logistic regression revealed a significant correlation between distress severity and many predictors. Among the predictors that were found to act as a protective factors against higher levels of distress included older age (aOR=0.64, P=0.022; 95% CI: 0.44 - 0.94) , and having a strong motivation for distance learning (aOR=0.10, P=0.048 ; 95% CI: 0.01 - 0.96).In contrary, being a current smoker (aOR=1.99, P=0.049 ; 95% CI: 1.10 - 3.39), and having no motivation for distance learning (aOR=2.49, P=0.007; 95% CI: 1.29 - 4.80) acted as risk factors for having higher levels of psychological distress among the students .The most common coping activity reported was spending more time on social media platforms (n=269, 70.6%), and 209 students (54.9%) reported distance learning was their most distressing concern.Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic and related control measures could impact the mental health of individuals, including students. We recommend a nationwide psychological support program to be incorporated into Jordan’s preparedness plan and response strategy in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. e014698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sidorchuk ◽  
Karin Engström ◽  
Charisse M Johnson ◽  
Naima Kayser Leeoza ◽  
Jette Möller

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