Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 11, 2020

Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection Exposure Risk and Mental Health among a Cohort of Essential Retail Workers in the United States

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  • [pre-print, not peer reviewed] A cross-sectional study of 104 workers in a single grocery retail store in Massachusetts showed that employees with direct customer exposure were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 (OR=4.7, 95%CI 1.2 to 32.0), while smokers were less likely to test positive (OR=0.1, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.8). The ability to social distance consistently at work was a significant protective factor for anxiety (OR=0.2 95%CI 0.1 to 0.7) and depression (OR=0.1, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.6). In contrast, exposure to a confirmed case within the past 14 days was positively associated with depression (OR=19.1, 95%CI 2.2-339.1). 

Lan et al. (June 9, 2020). Association between SARS-CoV-2 Infection Exposure Risk and Mental Health among a Cohort of Essential Retail Workers in the United States. Pre-print downloaded June 11 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.08.20125120