Mental health symptoms in a cohort of hospital healthcare workers following the first peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

Abstract BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a significant increase in mental health disorders amongst healthcare workers (HCW). AimsWe evaluated the prevalence of anxiety, depressive and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a HCW population in the United Kingdom (UK), to identify subgroups most at risk. MethodsAn electronic survey was conducted between the 05/06/2020 and 31/07/2020 of all hospital HCW in the West Midlands, UK using clinically validated questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Univariate analyses and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the strengths in associations. ResultsThere were 2638 eligible participants who completed the survey (female: 79.5%, median age: 42 [IQR: 32-51] years). The prevalence rates of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD were 34.3%, 31.2% and 24.5% respectively. In adjusted analysis a history of mental health conditions was associated with clinically significant symptoms of anxiety (odds ratio 2.3 [95% CI 1.9–2.7]; p<0.001), depression (2.5 [2.1–3.0]; p<0.001) and PTSD (2.1 [1.7–2.5]; p<0.001). The availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), wellbeing support and lower exposure to moral dilemmas at work demonstrated significant negative associations with former symptoms (p≤0.001). ConclusionsWe report a high prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD in hospital HCW following the initial Covid-19 pandemic peak in the UK. Those with a history of mental health conditions were most at risk. Adequate PPE availability, access to wellbeing support and reduced exposure to moral dilemmas may protect hospital HCW from mental health symptoms.