Mental Health of Caregivers Working in Nursing Homes during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION

There have been numerous reports of cluster outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitals and nursing homes. Healthcare workers fighting COVID-19 experience mental health issues. Caregivers in nursing homes experienced increased psychological distress and concern about deterioration of their mental health. We conducted a large-scale web-based survey exploring mental health among caregivers working in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of identifying their support needs.

METHODS

Survey participants were caregivers working at 284 nursing homes in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. The survey period was from September 2020 to March 2021. Participants responded to a questionnaire covering gender, age, occupation, infections at facilities, infection protection, changes in nursing home users, cooperation with other medical institutions, and prejudice/discrimination. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to evaluate participants' depression and anxiety.

RESULTS

In total, 676 participants completed the survey; 350 (52.5%) were with anxiety symptoms and 378 (56.7%) were with depressive symptoms (scores exceeding the HADS cut-off points). The risk for anxiety was associated with being care worker or social worker. The risk of anxiety or depression was high when family caregivers' mental state changed.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: This study found that caregivers working in nursing homes were exposed to high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and were at high risk for developing depression and anxiety.