Factors associated with post - traumatic stress disorder among doctors and nurses participated in COVID-19 prevention in some provines in Vietnam in 2021

Abstract

A cross - sectional study was to describle factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 235 doctors and 330 nurses directly participated in COVID-19 response in selected provinces in Vietnam in 2021. The Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with PTSD. The results showed that the prevalence of PTSD among healthcare workers was 15.2%. PTSD was significantly associated with feelings of prolonged separation from loved ones (p < 0.05) among doctors, and concerns about insufficient personal protective equipment among both doctors (p = 0.044) and nurses (p = 0.006). Logistic regression analysis revealed that anxiety due to lack of insufficient personal protective equipment was a statistically significant predictor of PTSD among nurses (aOR:5.85; 95% CI: 1.34 – 25.63). This study had shown that the feeling of loneliness when separated from loved ones for a long time and lack of protective equipment are factors related to more severe PTSD in doctors and nurses participating in COVID-19 prevention in Vietnam. It is necessary to facilitate psychological support and ensure adequate protective equipment to reduce mental stress and the risk of PTSD for healthcare workers in the future.