Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 26, 2020

Mental health status and coping strategy of medical workers in China during The COVID-19 outbreak

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  • In a study of 5,393 healthcare workers from all provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), conducted between Feb 9-15, 2020, participants self-reported on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and insomnia using scales validated for Chinese populations and on perceived social support. Insomnia was the most common symptom (34.3% of respondents) followed by depression (28%) and anxiety (5.9%). Risk factors for emotional stress were highest in female nurses, those who had contact with suspected or confirmed infectious patients, mid-career clinicians, those reporting lower levels of social support, and those who had contact “primary” with patients, including working in respiratory wards, ICU, and isolation wards. The authors concluded that social support may reduce the impact of stress on healthcare providers.

Siyu et al. (Feb 25, 2020). Mental health status and coping strategy of medical workers in China during The COVID-19 outbreak. Pre-print downloaded Feb 26 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.23.20026872