Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2024;79(3):1079-1089.
doi: 10.3233/WOR-230428.

Factors associated with anxiety disorders among healthcare workers (HCWS) involved in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Carole Pélissier  1   2 , Mariasole Varano  1 , Martine Moulin  1 , Pierre Carcasset  1 , Luc Fontana  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Factors associated with anxiety disorders among healthcare workers (HCWS) involved in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Carole Pélissier et al. Work. 2024.

Abstract

Background: In a context of reorganization of the activity, of increase of the psychological, emotional and physical constraints of the nursing staff induced by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase of the anxiety disorders could occur.

Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence of anxiety disorders in healthcare workers (HCWs) by wards and to investigate medical, personal, and occupational factors associated with anxiety disorder.

Methods: In France, in May 2020, a monocentric observational cross-sectional study was proposed to 285 HCWs of the University Hospital of Saint Etienne, working in 3 types of randomly selected care wards. Information was collected using an anonymous self-questionnaire offered to eligible HCWs. Validated questionnaires were used to assess anxiety (Hospital anxiety and Depression Scale) and burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory).

Results: Of the 164 HCWs who participated in the study (57% participation rate), 69 (42%) caregivers had anxious symptomatology. The prevalence of anxiety disorders did not differ significantly by type of wards. Anxiety disorders are significantly associated with occupational factors (increased COVID-19 stress level, increased emotional load, increased mental load, high work/life stress during confinement, emotional exhaustion and loss of empathy), with medical factors (medical history of anxiety disorders, psychotropic treatment and impaired sleep quality) and personal factors (concern about working conditions and/or media reports).

Conclusions: Preventive actions focusing on organizational factors could be carried out to reduce the emotional and mental load, the level of stress and the burnout of HCWs.

Keywords: First wave of the COVID-19 pandemic; burnout; healthcare workers; mental health; occupational stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics [Internet]. 2023 [cité 14 déc 2023]. Disponible sur: https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http%3a%2f%2fid.who.int%2ficd%2fent....
    1. Muschalla B. Different work capacity impairments in patients with different work-anxieties. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2016;89(4):609–19. - PubMed
    1. Wald J. Anxiety Disorders and Work Performance. In: Work Accommodation and Retention in Mental Health [Internet]. [cité 21 mars 2024]. Disponible sur. https://www.infona.pl//resource/bwmeta1.element.springer-15ee76ba-0b5b-3....
    1. Wolitzky-Taylor KB, Castriotta N, Lenze EJ, Stanley MA, Craske MG. Anxiety disorders in older adults: A comprehensive review. Depress Anxiety. 2010;2(27):190–211. - PubMed
    1. Cheung T, Yip PSF. Depression, Anxiety and Symptoms of Stress among Hong Kong Nurses: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2015;12(9):11072–100. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types