The effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal system complaints in healthcare workers

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 increased psychological and physical complaints, including anxiety, depression, and pain. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal complaints that may occur in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were cross-sectional, collected by the online questionnaire method consisted of demographic questions, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Nordic Musculoskeletal System Query (NMQ), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Among the groups, the number of doctors in the frontline group, the fear of being infected, the number of tests performed, and personal protective equipment were higher than the second-line group (p < 0.05). It was found that 73.4% of the participants had anxiety, 83.5% had depression, and 94.9% had musculoskeletal pain. It was observed that there was no statistically significant difference between the applied scale scores between the groups (p > 0.05). About musculoskeletal system complaints of the participants, neck pain presence was determined as 73.4% in the last 12 months, and upper back pain was the highest with 61.4% in the last week. Neck (p < 0.005) and upper back pain (p = 0.04) parameters in the last seven days of the NMQ scale applied to the participants were found to be statistically significantly higher in the contact group. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal pain of healthcare workers were found to be high. While neck and back pain was the most common in musculoskeletal complaints, it was found that these pains were higher in the frontline group. In this regard, healthcare professionals can be given psychological support and exercise training.

Automated summary

The study found high levels of anxiety, depression, and musculoskeletal pain among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neck and upper back pain were the most common issues, with higher prevalence in frontline healthcare workers.