Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Iranian Healthcare Workers Dealing with COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Aims: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder affecting a person directly or indirectly that may appear as a threat to physical security, death or death threat, natural disasters, war, etc. The purpose of this study is to assess of PTSD in Iranian Healthcare Workers (HCWs) dealing with COVID-19. Material & Methods: The present study was conducted cross-sectional and online, from 5 May to 23 August 2020, on 418 Iranian HCWs, including (physician, nurse & laboratory technician, health worker, administrative staff, radiologist). Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire through the Porsline site by convenience sampling method. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS 16 software. Findings: Most participants in the study (40.4) were in the age group of 30 to 39 years. Out of 286 individuals who had reported PTSD symptoms, the majority were women (73.1) and married (71.3). Among the HCWs with PTSD, 16 had mild, 14.8 had moderate, and 37.6 had severe symptoms, and 31.6 were asymptomatic. PTSD had a statistically significant relationship to gender, type of employment, smoking, a history of specific diseases, the probability of exposure with coronavirus, and a history of contacts with a COVID-19 patient (P< 0.05) Conclusion: Most of HCWs (two thirds) had some degrees of PTSD. Due to the professional and vital importance and role of this group in health systems and communities, providing appropriate psychological solutions and techniques and tailored interventions to promote the physical and mental health of Healthcare Workers must be considered in priorities. © 2022, Tarbiat Modares University. All rights reserved.