Factors Associated to Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Healthcare Workers in Ecuador

Objective: The global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health systems. Healthcare professionals had to face harsh conditions that have caused psycho-emotional consequences. Ecuador has been one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic in Latin America. The objective of this study was to analyse...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ruiz Frutos, Carlos, Arias Ulloa, Cristian Arturo, Ortega Moreno, Mónica, Romero Martín, Macarena, Escobar Segovia, Kenny, Adanaqué Bravo, Ingrid, Gómez Salgado, Juan
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Huelva (UHU)
Repositorio:Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/21971
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10272/21971
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
Psychological distress
Ecuador
Healthcare professionals
3212 Salud Publica
61 Psicología
Descripción
Sumario:Objective: The global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health systems. Healthcare professionals had to face harsh conditions that have caused psycho-emotional consequences. Ecuador has been one of the countries hit hardest by the pandemic in Latin America. The objective of this study was to analyse the levels of psychological distress among healthcare workers in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a convenience sample of 1,056 healthcare professionals, assessing their psychological distress, physical symptoms of COVID-19, state of health, the preventive measures adopted, and the history of contact with people infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus. Results: showed that 66.0% of the participants manifested psychological distress, with significantly higher levels in women with symptoms of COVID-19 and previous contact with infected people or objects (p < 0.001). However, adherence to preventive measures and perception of health were associated with less psychological distress (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The importance of monitoring the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed, having identified factors associated with the development of psychological distress among professionals in Ecuador.