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Vol. 16. Issue 4.
Pages 221-224 (October - December 2023)
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Vol. 16. Issue 4.
Pages 221-224 (October - December 2023)
Brief report
Association between perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among health workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak
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Roberto Mediavillaa,b,
Corresponding author
roberto.mediavilla@uam.es

Corresponding author.
, Eduardo Fernández-Jiménezc,d, Jorge Andreod,a, Inés Morán-Sáncheze,f, Ainoa Muñoz-Sanjoséc,d, Berta Moreno-Küstnerg,h,i, Franco Mascayanoj,k, José Luis Ayuso-Mateosa,b,l, María-Fe Bravo-Ortizc,d,a, Gonzalo Martínez-Alésj,c, The COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS – Spain (HEROES-SPA) Working Group 1
a Department of Psychiatry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
b Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
c Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and Mental Health, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain
d Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain
e Institute for Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), Murcia, Spain
f Cartagena Mental Health Centre, Health Service of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
g Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
h Andalusian Group of Psychosocial Research (GAP), Andalusia, Spain
i Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain
j Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
k New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, United States
l Department of Psychiatry, La Princesa University Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-Princesa), Madrid, Spain
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Table 1. Characteristics of the respondents stratified by perceived discrimination.
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Abstract
Background

During the initial COVID-19 outbreak, health systems faced unprecedented organizational stress. Meanwhile, reports of episodes of discrimination and violence towards healthcare workers increased globally. This study explores the association between perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes in a large sample of healthcare workers in Spain.

Materials and methods

Healthcare workers from inpatient and outpatient facilities (N=2,053) filled an on-line questionnaire in May or June 2020. Mental health outcomes included depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire [GHQ-12]) and death thoughts (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale [C-SSRS]). We also measured perceived discrimination and/or stigmatization due to being a healthcare worker since pandemic onset. Regression models adjusted for potential confounding sources (age, sex, history of a mental health diagnosis and type of job) were fitted.

Results

Thirty percent of the respondents reported discrimination and/or stigmatization. Perceived discrimination was associated with higher depression (B=2.4, 95 percent CI: 1.8, 2.9) and psychological distress (B=1.1, 95 percent CI: 0.7, 1.4) scores, and with a 2-fold increase in risk of reporting death thoughts (OR=2.0, 95 percent CI: 1.4, 3.1).

Conclusions

Perceived discrimination is a modifiable driver of mental health problems among healthcare workers. Mass media, legislators, and healthcare institutions must put in place prevention and restoration strategies to limit discrimination towards healthcare workers and reduce its mental health impact.

Keywords:
Discrimination
Stigma
Mental health
Healthcare workers
COVID-19

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