The Psychological Impact of COVID-۱۹ on Healthcare Workers in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

 Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-۱۹ pandemic on the healthcare workers in Kurdistan, Iraq. Methods: Healthcare workers in four different COVID-۱۹ hospitals in the cities of Erbil, Sulaimani, Chamchamal, and Halabja in the Kurdistan region of Iraq participated in this study on a convenience sampling method from April ۱۰, ۲۰۲۰, to May ۲۰, ۲۰۲۰. The degree of symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression were assessed based on the translated to Kurdish versions of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-۵ (PCL-۵), and Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-۲۵) respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the prevalence of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests were performed to compare the scores based on different groups since the data was not normally distributed. Results: Of ۱۸۲ healthcare workers, ۵۳.۳% of participants screened positive for PTSD, ۲۹.۱% for anxiety, and ۳۹.۰% for depression. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of PTSD, anxiety, and depression according to gender and family status. However, Respondents, who were aged <۴۰, scored higher on PCL-۵, but no difference was found on HSCL-۲۵. Nurses in the Sulaimani city, frontline workers, and those who had COVID-۱۹ related traumatic experience scored higher on all three measures. Conclusion: The psychological impact of COVID-۱۹ among the healthcare workers in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is at a high level of concern. Preventive programs and adaptive psychological interventions are needed.  

کلیدواژه ها:

COVID-۱۹ ، healthcare workers ، PTSD ، anxiety ، depression ، Kurdistan