Investigation of anxiety levels of 1637 healthcare workers during the epidemic of COVID-19

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 22;15(12):e0243890. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243890. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the anxiety levels of healthcare workers and to provide guidance on potential accurate social and psychological interventions for healthcare workers during the epidemic of COVID-19 in Zhejiang Province, China.

Methods: Healthcare workers from five hospitals in Zhejiang Province were randomly selected into this study. Zung Self-Assessment Scale for Anxiety (SAS) was used to evaluate the anxiety status of the included 1637 healthcare workers.

Results: The total anxiety score of healthcare workers in Zhejiang Province was 30.85 ± 6.89. The univariate analysis showed that the anxiety level of healthcare workers was related to gender, education, occupation, physical condition, job risk coefficient, and with family members on the first-line combating COVID-19 (P <0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that physical condition and job risk coefficient were predictors of anxiety levels of healthcare workers.

Conclusions: During the epidemic of COVID-19, 1637 healthcare workers generally had an increased tendency to have anxiety. Individualized assessment of the anxiety level of healthcare workers should be provided, and different interventions should be given based on the evaluation results.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anxiety / psychology*
  • Anxiety / virology
  • COVID-19 / epidemiology*
  • COVID-19 / psychology
  • Female
  • Health Personnel / psychology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Pandemics*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / pathogenicity*
  • Stress, Psychological / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Zhejiang University special research scientific research fund for COVID-19 prevention and control. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.