• Shinwon Lee, Soyoon Hwang, Ki Tae Kwon, EunKyung Nam, Un Sun Chung, Shin-Woo Kim, Hyun-Ha Chang, Yoonjung Kim, Sohyun Bae, Ji-Yeon Shin, Sang-Geun Bae, Hyun Wook Ryoo, Juhwan Jeong, NamHee Oh, So Hee Lee, Yeonjae Kim, Chang Kyung Kang, Hye Yoon Park, Jiho Park, Se Yoon Park, Bongyoung Kim, Hae Suk Cheong, Ji Woong Son, Su Jin Lim, Seongcheol Yun, Won Sup Oh, Kyung-Hwa Park, Ju-Yeon Lee, Sang Taek Heo, and Ji-Yeon Lee.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
• J. Korean Med. Sci. 2024 Apr 8; 39 (13): e120e120.

BackgroundA healthcare system's collapse due to a pandemic, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can expose healthcare workers (HCWs) to various mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the depression and anxiety of HCWs.MethodsA nationwide questionnaire-based survey was conducted on HCWs who worked in healthcare facilities and public health centers in Korea in December 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to measure depression and anxiety. To investigate factors associated with depression and anxiety, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 1,425 participating HCWs were included. The mean depression score (PHQ-9) of HCWs before and after COVID-19 increased from 2.37 to 5.39, and the mean anxiety score (GAD-7) increased from 1.41 to 3.41. The proportion of HCWs with moderate to severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) increased from 3.8% before COVID-19 to 19.5% after COVID-19, whereas that of HCWs with moderate to severe anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 10) increased from 2.0% to 10.1%. In our study, insomnia, chronic fatigue symptoms and physical symptoms after COVID-19, anxiety score (GAD-7) after COVID-19, living alone, and exhaustion were positively correlated with depression. Furthermore, post-traumatic stress symptoms, stress score (Global Assessment of Recent Stress), depression score (PHQ-9) after COVID-19, and exhaustion were positively correlated with anxiety.ConclusionIn Korea, during the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs commonly suffered from mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. Regularly checking the physical and mental health problems of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial, and social support and strategy are needed to reduce the heavy workload and psychological distress of HCWs.© 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

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