Prevalence of Psychological Morbidities Among Hospital Staff During the Second Wave of COVID-19 in India

N. A. Uvais, MBBS, DPM; Mohammed Jezeel Nalakath, MHA

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2023;25(5):22m03469

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia among hospital staff during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore changes in the rate of psychological morbidities across the first 2 waves.

Methods: This cross-sectional online survey study was conducted between May 15, 2021, and June 29, 2021, among 289 hospital staff (except doctors). Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were measured using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), respectively.

Results: Of respondents, 45.0% reported clinically significant depression, 29.4% reported clinically significant anxiety, and 38.7% reported insomnia. Among the nursing staff, 49.6% reported clinically significant depression, 38.1% reported clinically significant anxiety, and 43.9% reported insomnia. There was significantly higher depression (P = .04), anxiety (P = .009), and insomnia (P = .045) among nursing staff compared with other hospital staff. There was a significantly higher prevalence of insomnia among participants living with family (P = .04). There was a significantly higher mean ISI score among participants with a history of COVID-19 exposure (P = .02) and those with a history of COVID-19 infection (P = .04).

Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of psychological morbidities among hospital staff. Moreover, psychological morbidities were significantly higher among nurses compared to other hospital staff. Based on these findings, there is an urgent need to design and implement psychological support systems for hospital staff, especially nurses, to maintain their mental health and the quality of clinical services.

Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 2023;25(5):22m03469

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