The paper reports the experience of implementing psychological support measures for healthcare workers of infectious hospitals for patients with COVID-19 during a pandemic. The results of an empirical study of the relationship between the anxiety and depression symptoms prevalence, severity and specificity, and the social status and occupational burnout factors in healthcare workers living in metropolis (Krasnoyarsk) and closed territorial district (Zelenogorsk) or seconded to the Severo-Yeniseysky District of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, are presented. The phases of the psychological support activities implementation are described. A comparative analysis of the employees’ involvement in various infectious diseases hospitals was carried out.
Material and methods
The survey sample included 126 subjects (21 men and 105 women) engaged in the provision of medical care in three infectious diseases hospitals for patients with COVID-l9 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. To achieve the goals and objectives of the study, the following methods were used: psychodiagnostic testing using the BDI scale, STAI test and MBI questionnaire, and statistical data processing (Spearman rank correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U-test). We invited 284 medical workers to participate in the psychological support activities.
Results and conclusion
The prevalence of sub-threshold depression among medical specialists varied between 5.5 and 30.9% depending on the infectious diseases hospital for patients with COVID-19 location. Severe depressive symptoms were detected in 4.46% of the total number of subjects. A low level of state anxiety was detected in less than 30% of respondents. It was confirmed that younger and less experienced employees were more susceptible to depersonalization and cognitive-affective symptoms of depression. Employees who had no children demonstrated higher level of state and trait anxiety. Moreover, despite the prevalence of alarming and depressive symptoms, the low involvement and unwillingness of healthcare workers to participate in psychological support activities were noted.