The Mental Health Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Therapists

Seoyon Yang, Sang Gyu Kwak, Eun Jae Ko and Min Cheol Chang
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Seoyon Yang: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Ewha Woman’s University Seoul Hospital, Seoul 07804, Korea
Sang Gyu Kwak: Department of Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea
Eun Jae Ko: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Korea
Min Cheol Chang: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu 42415, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-7

Abstract: We evaluated the mental health burden of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on physical therapists, including their stress and anxiety levels, who were at risk of developing psychological distress and other mental health symptoms. A questionnaire survey was conducted with physical therapists of three university hospitals in South Korea on 10 April 2020. The questionnaires evaluated the presence of anxiety and depression in the respondents. Among the 65 physical therapists who completed our survey, 21 (32.3%) and 12 (18.5%) physical therapists reported having symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. If a physical therapist was living with a ≤6-year-old infant or child, the possibility of the presence of anxiety was significantly higher. The risk of depression among those who were in their 30 s and 50 s was significantly higher than among those in their 20 s. Thus, physical therapists living with a ≤6-year-old infant or child and those in their 30 s and 50 s need special attention.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; physical therapists; anxiety; depression; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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