Analysis of Coping Ability and Mental Health of Medical Staff on COVID-19 in Henan, China

Abstract Backgrounds Outbreak of COVID-19 imposed great pressure on the professional work and psychological health of medical staff, especially in the early stage. This study aims to assess the coping ability and mental health status of medical workers and find influencing factors on them during the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical staff in Henan from January 29th to February 4th with a total of 1739 participates. A self-made questionnaire was used to evaluate their coping ability and mental health status (Both total score 110). Chi-square analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify influencing factors on them. Results The majority of the participants (96.8%) had coping ability scores (Median, 81; IQR, 75~87) above the passing line, most (65.0%) were in normal mental health (median, 58; IQR, 44~68). Analyses showed that older age, higher education level, and distrust in unofficial information were facilitating factors for better copying ability among medical workers. For mental health status, medical workers had 3 promoting factors: older age, distrust of unofficial information, and non-participation in epidemic prevention and control. On the other hand, poor physical health was a risk factor. (P<0.05) Conclusions In early stage of the epidemic, medical staff in Henan performed well in coping ability and mental health, but the government still needs to pay more attention to the coping capacity and mental health of medical workers who are younger, less educated, blind to unofficial information and in poor physical condition who may have worse coping ability and mental health status. And other studies are needed to determine the follow-up status.