Estimation of Prevalence and Comparing the Levels of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Psychological Impact Before and After COVID-19 Lockdown Among Front Line Health Care Workers

Abstract

The main objective of the study is to estimate the prevalence and compare the levels of psychological impact, anxiety, depression, and stress experienced by the frontline health care workers (HCWs) during the lockdown and post lockdown periods at Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Hyderabad, India. All participants involved in the study were evaluated by using depression, anxiety and stress scale 21, the impact of event scale revised scale for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a standardized questionnaire. During the lockdown period, the score for depression was observed mean scores to be more in front desk people (2.70) followed by pharmacists and technicians (2.60) and security (2.28) in the lockdown period. During the lockdown, the highest levels of anxiety were seen in security staff (4.72) and housekeeping (4.8), with a considerable increase after the lockdown situation. During the lockdown period, the mean score of pharmacists and technicians (10.33) were more stressed than other HCWs, and the second-highest levels of stress were observed in security (10.11) and front desk workers (10.09), respectively. Our results show that there was a worsening of the psychological impact of the pandemic and an increase in PTSD, stress, anxiety, and depression among HCWs. Female gender, pharmacists, and technicians were the most vulnerable group to develop psychiatric comorbidities.

Keywords: and anxiety.; depression; frontline health care workers; post-traumatic stress disorder; psychological impact.