Occupational stress and mental health on frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction. Occupational stress posed a relevant risk for mental health disturbances in healthcare workers during the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic. Objective. To determine the relationship between the level of occupational stress and mental health in front-line healthcare personnel against COVID-19. Methodology. An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in the emergency and hospitalization areas of the San Juan de Dios National Hospital in San Miguel, from September to December 2020. A total of 121 workers participated. The occupational stress scales of the International Labor Organization and the abbreviated Goldberg scale were used. Variable correlation analysis was performed using Spearman’s coefficient. Results. 59.5% were female and 44.6% were the nursing staff. 89.3 % had a low level of stress and 79.3% had an intermediate level of alteration in mental health, with a predominance of anxiety (51.2%) over depression (8.3 %) in nurses and general services personnel between 21 and 40 years. The analysis of the Spearman correlation determined a positive correlation between occupational stress and mental health disorders (R2 0.218; p = 0.016) in workers. Conclusion. The study showed a low and intermediate level of occupational stress in mental health; with a positive correlation, which means that the increase in stress can favor the presence of alterations in the mental health status of the worker.