Abstract

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on the healthcare frontier. This study sought to assess depression, anxiety, stress and related factors in healthcare shift workers. METHODS: The sample frame includes a healthcare his shift worker directly managing his COVID-19 case in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Participants' mental health status was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Associated factors reported in this study included sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary habits. Pearson's χ2 and simple multivariate binary logistic regression models were constructed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow approach to identify potentially relevant factors. A total of 413 participants were recruited. Overall, 40.7% of his participants had one or more of his symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress. Poor sleep quality was significantly associated with all psychological outcomes of depression, anxiety and stress. Inactivity has been found to be strongly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. At the same time, diet was strongly associated with anxiety and stress. Sleep quality, inactivity, and dietary habits associated with the mental health status of medical shift workers are modifiable factors that need to be addressed to contain mental health problems in this group of workers. 

Keywords:  SARS-COV-2; COVID-19