The Correlation Between Medical Staff Mental Health and Perceived Social Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran (2020)

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across China and many countries worldwide, and healthcare workers at the front lines of disease control are under high physical and mental pressure. Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the correlation between medical staff mental health and perceived social support during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran (2020). Methods: This is a descriptive correlational study. Our targeted population was all the healthcare, administrative, and non-administrative staff, which were involved in the treatment of the coronavirus patients, of the cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. According to our investigational criteria, 320 samples were selected among our targeted population due to the purposive sampling method. General Health Questionnaire-28 Items (GHQ-28) and perceived social support questionnaire were information-collecting tools. The respondents completed and submitted the questionnaires online. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS software version 22, using descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard deviation (SD), and frequency percentage), and inferential statistics (i.e., correlation analysis and regression analysis). Results: There was a significant relationship and negative correlation between perceived social support and mental health (R = -0.334, P ≤ 0.01). The least prevalent mental health problem was depression (mean ± SD = 31.10 ± 56.3), while the most prevalent mental health problem was social dysfunction (mean ± SD = 14.24 ± 06.3). The regression model significantly predicts mental health (F = 14.06, P 0.0001). Conclusions: Overall, the medical staff experienced moderate mental health problems, with social dysfunction causing the greatest psychological disorders during the COVID-19 outbreak in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. More attention should be paid to the mental health and perceived social support of these workers, and their mental status should be regularly assessed. Therefore, perceived social support can significantly predict the mental health of healthcare workers, as it reduces the psychological problems of the medical staff.