Investigating Predictors of Psychological Distress for Healthcare Workers in a Major Saudi COVID-19 Center

Hussain Alyami, Christian U. Krägeloh, Oleg N. Medvedev, Saleh Alghamdi, Mubarak Alyami, Jamal Althagafi, Mataroria Lyndon and Andrew G. Hill
Additional contact information
Hussain Alyami: College of Medicine, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Christian U. Krägeloh: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Oleg N. Medvedev: School of Psychology, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
Saleh Alghamdi: Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Mubarak Alyami: Administration Building, King Faisal Medical Complex, Taif 26514, Saudi Arabia
Jamal Althagafi: Administration Building, King Faisal Medical Complex, Taif 26514, Saudi Arabia
Mataroria Lyndon: Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, The University of Auckland, Building 409, 24 Symonds Street, City Campus, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Andrew G. Hill: South Auckland Clinical Campus, The University of Auckland, Level 2, North Wing, Esmé Green Building 30, Middlemore Hospital, 100 Hospital Road, Otahuhu, Auckland 1062, New Zealand

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between fear of COVID-19, previous exposure to COVID-19, perceived vulnerability to disease, sleep quality, and psychological distress among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Taif city in Saudi Arabia, which has a population of 702,000 people. A cross-sectional study design was adopted. HCWs ( n = 202) completed a survey containing the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), Perceived Vulnerability to Disease (PVD), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). FCV-19S and sleep quality were significant predictors for psychological distress. Female gender was a significant predictor for depression and stress. Single, divorced, and widowed marital status were predictive for anxiety. FCV-19S was weakly correlated with PVD but moderately with depression, anxiety, and stress. Of the two PVD subscales, perceived infectability was weakly correlated with psychological distress. PVD and previous experience with COVID-19 were not significant predictors. Sleep quality and FCV-19S were major predictors of psychological distress. Findings indicated that poor sleep quality was strongly associated with psychological distress, while fear of COVID-19 had a moderate association. Such results support the need to design and implement psychological programs to assist HCWs in dealing with the psychological impact of this ongoing pandemic.

Keywords: fear; health personnel; mental health; COVID-19; depression; anxiety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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