A cross-sectional study conducted in Pakistan revealed the extent of psychological effects on healthcare workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using snowball sampling, 428 healthcare workers responded to a survey that used the Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to measure depression symptoms, and the Brief-COPE questionnaire to assess coping mechanisms. 398 doctors, nurses, and pharmacists were included in the study, one third reported having direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and only one third reported receiving training on infection prevention. The participants were found to have high levels of depression and anxiety, 78.7%, 13.1% 8.3% of respondents had none-mild, moderate, and severe anxiety respectively. 22% of HCW fulfilled the PHQ-9 scale’s criteria for depression, with respondents falling under the categories of minimal-none (35.9%), mild (42.2%), moderate (12.8%), moderately severe (7.3%), and severe (1.8%). Risk factors for developing worse depression scores included frontline work and not receiving infection prevention training. The most commonly sought-out coping mechanisms, such as religious coping, coping planning, acceptance, positive reframing, and substance misuse were measured in this study. The authors call on proactive steps to enhance resilience and protect the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers during the pandemic.
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