Depression, anxiety, and stress among frontline primary health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Main Authors: Salaton, Nor Fauziah, Bulgiba, Awang
• Format: Article
• Published: SAGE Publications Inc 2022
• Subjects: BF Psychology; RA Public aspects of medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/42354/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 as a pneumonia of unknown etiology. It was then declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on January 31, 2020.1 Malaysia recorded its first local COVID-19 case on February 3, 2020. The state of Selangor has been one of the worst affected states in Malaysia with a very high incidence density and mortality rate.2 The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the health care system, and affected health care workers (HCWs) are under tremendous pressure.3 Although many studies found that mental health problems are prevalent in HCWs causing them to struggle in this pandemic, most of them work without receiving adequate training and support to safeguard their mental health.4-6 There are few studies on the assessment of mental health among frontline HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia, and none so far have involved primary HCWs. This is the first study to analyze the mental health well-being of primary HCWs in Malaysia. Prolonged and high levels of work-related stress among HCWs can lead to psychological problems and disorders that may impact the quality of health care services to patients. A planned strategy is thus required to ensure the psychological well-being of HCWs to avoid any deterioration of their well-being and consequently the health care services. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors for depression, anxiety, and stress among public primary HCWs involved in the COVID-19 pandemic in a Malaysian state.