Workplace factors associated with mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC health services research 2021-03, Vol.21 (1), p.262-262, Article 262
• Main Authors: Khajuria, Ankur, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Liu, Zhongchun, Chen, Jian-Hua, Mehdian, Roshana, Fleming, Simon, Vig, Stella, Crawford, Mike J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; China; Coronavirus; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Epidemics; Female; Health aspects; Health Personnel - psychology; Healthcare workers; Humans; Male; Medical personnel; Mental Health; Pandemics - prevention & control; Personal Protective Equipment; Psychological aspects; SARS-CoV-2; Workplace; Workplace - psychology
• ISSN: 1472-6963; 1472-6963
• DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06279-6

The association of workplace factors on mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be urgently established. This will enable governments and policy-makers to make evidence-based decisions. This international study reports the association between workplace factors and the mental health of HCWs during the pandemic. An international, cross-sectional study was conducted in 41 countries. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms, derived from the validated Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with mental health outcomes. Inter-country differences were also evaluated. A total of 2527 responses were received, from 41 countries, including China (n = 1213; 48.0%), UK (n = 891; 35.3%), and USA (n = 252; 10.0%). Of all participants, 1343 (57.1%) were aged 26 to 40 years, and 2021 (80.0%) were female; 874 (34.6%) were doctors, and 1367 (54.1%) were nurses. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of depressive symptoms were: working in the UK (OR = 3.63; CI = [2.90-4.54]; p