Mental Health of Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan: The First Wave Outbreak Occurred 1 Year Later Than in Other Countries

Lee-Ling Huang, Hsin-Cheng Chung, Li-Ling Huang, Shu-Yuan Cheng, Chuan-Hsiung Lin and Te-Feng Yeh ()
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Lee-Ling Huang: Department of Nursing, Cheng Ching General Hospital, Taichung 400620, Taiwan
Hsin-Cheng Chung: Administration Center, Cheng Ching General Hospital, Taichung 400620, Taiwan
Li-Ling Huang: Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406053, Taiwan
Shu-Yuan Cheng: Department of Nursing, Cheng Ching General Hospital, Taichung 400620, Taiwan
Chuan-Hsiung Lin: Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406053, Taiwan
Te-Feng Yeh: Department of Healthcare Administration, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406053, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: We probed the psychological influence exerted on traumatic stress endured by healthcare workers (HCWs) and the coping behaviors adopted during the first wave of COVID-19 in Taiwan, which occurred one year later than in other countries. Clinical HCWs from two branches of a hospital network in Taichung, Taiwan, were recruited for this cross-sectional study. The participants were administered a questionnaire on sociodemographic and work-related characteristics, perceived influence exerted by COVID-19, coping behaviors in relation to COVID-19, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised scores. We obtained 769 valid questionnaires. A chi-square test, generalized linear modeling, and multivariate stepwise regression analyses were performed. Although the first wave of COVID-19 occurred one year later in Taiwan than in other countries, the traumatic stress experienced by Taiwanese HCWs was noted to be comparable to that of those in other countries. Factors for increased traumatic stress included caring for more patients with COVID-19, fair or poor self-rated mental health, higher perceived influence of COVID-19, vulnerable household income, and more negative coping behaviors. Positive coping behaviors such as exposure reduction and protection measures decreased traumatic stress. Accordingly, managers should strengthen protective measures, enhance COVID-19-related training, and provide psychological support and counseling for high-risk employees.

Keywords: COVID-19; coping behaviors; psychological; traumatic stress; healthcare workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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