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Comment
. 2024 Jan 31:12:1268638.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1268638. eCollection 2024.

Hospital pharmacists' mental health during home isolation in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19: influencing factors, coping strategies, and the mediating effect of resilience

Zhao Yin #  1   2 , XiangYu Wang #  3 , Xiaojing Lu  2   4 , Hang Fu  1
Affiliations
Comment

Hospital pharmacists' mental health during home isolation in the post-pandemic era of COVID-19: influencing factors, coping strategies, and the mediating effect of resilience

Zhao Yin et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: There is a notable research gap on the mental health challenges faced by hospital pharmacists in the post-pandemic era. Therefore, the present study aims to explore mental health status, influencing factors, coping strategies, and the mediating effect of resilience of home quarantine hospital pharmacists (HQHPs).

Methods: An embedded mixed-method study was conducted in Zhengzhou, a megalopolis in central China, from 20 October to 3 November 2022. For the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among HQHPs to understand their mental health state，the factors that affect their mental health, and the alleviating strategies they used. For the quantitative study, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) were used to explore the mental health level of HQHPs. Meanwhile, the mediating effect of resilience was explored and verified with the bootstrap method or the structural equation model.

Results: 20 HQHPs participated in the qualitative study. Two themes were identified in terms of the factors that influenced the HQHPs' mental health levels. The positive factors include optimism, family company, and connection with friends, while the negative factors include inadequate supplies, inadequate information, and other emergencies. 210 HQHPs participated in the quantitative study, with a median resilience score of 66 [55.75, 74] in the lowest score range and an anxiety score of 5 [2, 7] in the mild anxiety range. The correlation analysis showed that nine of the 10 influencing factors identified in qualitative research were positively correlated with CD-RISC-25 scores and negatively correlated with the GAD-7 score. The mediating effect of resilience on anxiety was significant (95% bootstrap CI [-1.818, -0.384], p<0.001; or 95% bootstrap CI [-1.174, -0.430], p<0.001).

Conclusion: Even in the post-epidemic era, hospital pharmacists face psychological challenges. They actively address these issues based on accumulated experience and a stabilized mindset. In this process, resilience plays a significant mediating role.

Keywords: COVID-19; embedded mixed methods; home quarantine hospital pharmacists (HQHPs); mediating effect; mental health; resilience.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Research methodology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Evaluation of HQHPs on impact factors. Q1: I think my body state enough to deal with in the past few days; Q2: I think I’m naturally optimistic; Q3: I feel very supported by my family; Q4: I think my friends are very supportive; Q5: I get along well with my coworkers; Q6: I think my family environment is very harmonious; Q7: I think the epidemic prevention management in the community is very scientific; Q8: I think the epidemic prevention and control policies are very scientific; Q9: I think the public opinions on epidemic prevention and control are full of positive energy; Q10: I have a stronger religious faith.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A mediating model of resilience between positive factors (A), negative factors (B) and anxiety. PF, Positive factors; NF, Negative factors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

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