Health service and psychotropic medication use for mental health conditions among healthcare workers active during the Spain Covid-19 Pandemic - A prospective cohort study using web-based surveys.
Psychiatry Res
; 334: 115800, 2024 Apr.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38387166
ABSTRACT
Little is known about healthcare workers' (HCW) use of healthcare services for mental disorders. This study presents data from a 16-month prospective cohort study of Spanish HCW (n = 4,809), recruited shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic onset, and assessed at four timepoints using web-based surveys. Use of health services among HCW with mental health conditions (i.e., those having a positive screen for mental disorders and/or suicidal thoughts and behaviours [STB]) was initially low (i.e., 18.2 %) but increased to 29.6 % at 16-month follow-up. Service use was positively associated with pre-pandemic mental health treatment (OR=1.99), a positive screen for major depressive disorder (OR=1.50), panic attacks (OR=1.74), suicidal thoughts and behaviours (OR=1.22), and experiencing severe role impairment (OR=1.33), and negatively associated with being female (OR = 0.69) and a higher daily number of work hours (OR=0.95). Around 30 % of HCW with mental health conditions used anxiolytics (benzodiazepines), especially medical doctors. Four out of ten HCW (39.0 %) with mental health conditions indicated a need for (additional) help, with most important barriers for service use being too ashamed, long waiting lists, and professional treatment not being available. Our findings delineate a clear mental health treatment gap among Spanish HCW.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Depressive Disorder, Major
/
COVID-19
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Psychiatry Res
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication:
Ireland