Mental health outcomes and risk factors among female physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic

The fast spread of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a huge workload burden. Health care workers have become a particular risk group for developing mental health symptoms, with women being the most affected group according to preliminary data. The aim of this study was to provide information about the prevalence of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in female physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic and describe risk factors associated with them. Using a cross-sectional design, we applied an online questionnaire to 303 female physicians inquiring about COVID-19 changes in their social and professional dynamics. To assess the presence of depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, the participants responded the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). The prevalence for depression, anxiety, sleep quality disturbances and PTSD symptoms was 72.6%, 64.3%, 77.8%, and 19.4% respectively. The main risk factor associated with every outcome was having a previous history of any mental health disorder. Younger age and being at the frontline for COVID-19 attention were relevant to depression symptoms. Our results were in agreement with previous studies, confirming the need for specific age-tailored mental health interventions in female physicians, especially those with previous diagnoses of mental health disorders.