Prevalence of psychological disorders among health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Reza Ghanei Gheshlagh1, Ali Hassanpour- Dehkordi2, Yousef Moradi3, Hosein Zahednezhad4, Elaheh Mazaheri5, Amanj Kurdi6
1 Spiritual Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran 2 Community-Oriented Nursing Midwifery Research Center, Nursing and Midwifery School, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran 3 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4 Department of Management and Psychiatric Nursing, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5 Health Information Technology Research Center, Student Research Committee, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 6 Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacy Practice, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK; Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq
Correspondence Address:
Hosein Zahednezhad Department of Management and Psychiatric Nursing, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran Iran
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_212_21
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Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.
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