Prevalence and Factors Associated with Mental Health Problems among Essential and Nonessential Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic, June 2021, in an Unstable and Developing Country: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nada Marić (), Aleksandar Popović, Sonja Peričević Medić, Milorad Španović and Nataša Maksimović
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Nada Marić: Institute of Occupational Health and Sports Medicine Republic of Srpska, Center Bijeljina, 76 300 Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Aleksandar Popović: Clinical Center of Montenegro, Clinic for Psychiatry, 81 000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Sonja Peričević Medić: Department of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Occupational Health of Novi Sad, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Milorad Španović: Department of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Occupational Health of Novi Sad, 21 000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Nataša Maksimović: Institute of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11 000 Belgrade, Serbia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: The two main goals of this research were to assess workers’ mental health (anxiety, depression, and job burnout syndrome) and examine factors related to mental health burdens in two groups of workers. The study was conducted as an online cross-sectional study. The target population consists of workers in essential activities who worked during the pandemic (health, defense, trade, finance, and media), as well as a group of workers who were particularly impacted by the protection measures and either worked under a different regime or were unable to work (caterers, musicians). A questionnaire was constructed for the needs of this research and the scales for anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome were used. In total, 42.2% of non-essential workers and 39.5% of essential workers reported anxiety symptoms, circa 20% of non-essential activity workers and essential activity workers reported depression, and 28.9% of non-essential activity workers and 33.7% of essential activity workers reported burnout. A significant association has been found between certain sociodemographic and health characteristics of respondents, as well as financial stress (worry about losing a job), social stress, media stress, and respondents’ trust in competent authorities and COVID-19 prevention measures, and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and burnout syndrome. The findings of this study pointed to mental health issues in other activities and highlighted the need for and importance of examining mental health in the population of non-essential activities. It is indicative of significant points that can be investigated in the future for prevention.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; burnout; mental illness; coronavirus; employee (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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