Open AccessCorona virus fear among health workers during the early phase of pandemic response in Nepal: A web-based cross-sectional study
Author(s) -
Pratik Khanal,
Kiran Paudel,
Navin Devkota,
Minakshi Dahal,
Shiva Raj Mishra,
D Joshi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos global public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2767-3375
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000083
Subject(s) - anxiety , stigma (botany) , psychological intervention , pandemic , cross sectional study , mental health , medicine , logistic regression , environmental health , psychology , psychiatry , covid-19 , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology
Health workers involved in the COVID-19 response might be at risk of developing fear and psychological distress. The study aimed to identify factors associated with COVID-19 fear among health workers in Nepal during the early phase of the pandemic. A web-based survey was conducted in April-May 2020 among 475 health workers directly involved in COVID-19 management. The Fear Scale of COVID 19 (FCV-19S) was used to measure the status of fear. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with COVID fear. The presence of COVID-19 fear was moderately correlated with anxiety and depression, and weakly correlated with insomnia. Nurses, health workers experiencing stigma, working in affected district, and presence of family members with chronic diseases were significantly associated with higher odds of developing COVID-19 fear. Based on the study findings, it is recommended to improve the work environment to reduce fear among health workers, employ stigma reduction interventions, and ensure personal and family support for those having family members with chronic diseases.