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Doctors’ Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences

Author

Listed:
  • Mohd Fadhli Mohd Fauzi

    (Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
    Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya 62590, Malaysia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Hanizah Mohd Yusoff

    (Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Rosnawati Muhamad Robat

    (Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Selangor State Health Department, No 1, Wisma Sunway, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah C 9/C, Seksyen 9, Shah Alam, Selangor 40100, Malaysia)

  • Nur Adibah Mat Saruan

    (Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
    Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya 62590, Malaysia)

  • Khairil Idham Ismail

    (Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
    Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya 62590, Malaysia)

  • Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris

    (Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, Perak State Health Department, Jalan Koo Chong Kong, Ipoh 30000, Perak, Malaysia)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic potentially increases doctors’ work demands and limits their recovery opportunity; this consequently puts them at a high risk of adverse mental health impacts. This study aims to estimate the level of doctors’ fatigue, recovery, depression, anxiety, and stress, and exploring their association with work demands and recovery experiences. This was a cross-sectional study among all medical doctors working at all government health facilities in Selangor, Malaysia. Data were collected in May 2020 immediately following the COVID-19 contagion peak in Malaysia by using self-reported questionnaires through an online medium. The total participants were 1050 doctors. The majority of participants were non-resident non-specialist medical officers (55.7%) and work in the hospital setting (76.3%). The highest magnitude of work demands was mental demand (M = 7.54, SD = 1.998) while the lowest magnitude of recovery experiences was detachment (M = 9.22, SD = 5.043). Participants reported a higher acute fatigue level (M = 63.33, SD = 19.025) than chronic fatigue (M = 49.37, SD = 24.473) and intershift recovery (M = 49.97, SD = 19.480). The majority of them had no depression (69.0%), no anxiety (70.3%), and no stress (76.5%). Higher work demands and lower recovery experiences were generally associated with adverse mental health. For instance, emotional demands were positively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = 2.73), chronic fatigue (adj. b = 3.64), depression (adj. b = 0.57), anxiety (adj. b = 0.47), and stress (adj. b = 0.64), while relaxation experiences were negatively associated with acute fatigue (adj. b = −0.53), chronic fatigue (adj. b = −0.53), depression (adj. b = −0.14), anxiety (adj. b = −0.11), and stress (adj. b = −0.15). However, higher detachment experience was associated with multiple mental health parameters in the opposite of the expected direction such as higher level of chronic fatigue (adj. b = 0.74), depression (adj. b = 0.15), anxiety (adj. b = 0.11), and stress (adj. b = 0.11), and lower level of intershift recovery (adj. b = −0.21). In conclusion, work demands generally worsen, while recovery experiences protect mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic with the caveat of the role of detachment experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohd Fadhli Mohd Fauzi & Hanizah Mohd Yusoff & Rosnawati Muhamad Robat & Nur Adibah Mat Saruan & Khairil Idham Ismail & Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris, 2020. "Doctors’ Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:19:p:7340-:d:424891
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Syazwan Nordin & Nor Azwany Yaacob & Johny Kelak & Ahmad Hazri Ilyas & Aziah Daud, 2022. "The Mental Health of Malaysia’s Northwest Healthcare Workers during the Relaxation of COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Filipe Prazeres & Lígia Passos & José Augusto Simões & Pedro Simões & Carlos Martins & Andreia Teixeira, 2020. "COVID-19-Related Fear and Anxiety: Spiritual-Religious Coping in Healthcare Workers in Portugal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Felisa Latorre & Amalia Raquel Pérez-Nebra & Fabiana Queiroga & Carlos-María Alcover, 2021. "How Do Teleworkers and Organizations Manage the COVID-19 Crisis in Brazil? The Role of Flexibility I-Deals and Work Recovery in Maintaining Sustainable Well-Being at Work," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-23, November.
    5. Souček, Claudia & Reggiani, Tommaso & Kairies-Schwarz, Nadja, 2025. "Physicians’ responses to time pressure: Experimental evidence on treatment quality and documentation behaviour," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    6. Meng Xuan Zhang & Long W. Lam & Anise M. S. Wu, 2022. "Recovery Experiences Protect Emotionally Exhausted White-Collar Workers from Gaming Addiction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-11, October.
    7. Juan Luis Delgado-Gallegos & Rene de Jesús Montemayor-Garza & Gerardo R. Padilla-Rivas & Héctor Franco-Villareal & Jose Francisco Islas, 2020. "Prevalence of Stress in Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northeast Mexico: A Remote, Fast Survey Evaluation, Using an Adapted COVID-19 Stress Scales," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-12, October.
    8. Hussain Alyami & Christian U. Krägeloh & Oleg N. Medvedev & Saleh Alghamdi & Mubarak Alyami & Jamal Althagafi & Mataroria Lyndon & Andrew G. Hill, 2022. "Investigating Predictors of Psychological Distress for Healthcare Workers in a Major Saudi COVID-19 Center," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-11, April.
    9. Evaldas Kazlauskas & Austeja Dumarkaite & Odeta Gelezelyte & Auguste Nomeikaite & Paulina Zelviene, 2023. "Validation of the Recovery Experience Questionnaire in a Lithuanian Healthcare Personnel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-9, February.
    10. Mohd Noor Norhayati & Ruhana Che Yusof & Mohd Yacob Azman, 2021. "Prevalence of Psychological Impacts on Healthcare Providers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, August.
    11. Rachel Msetfi & Diana Kornbrot & Yemaya J. Halbrook & Salha Senan, 2022. "Sense of Control and Depression during Public Health Restrictions and the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, November.
    12. Nicholas Tze Ping Pang & Gracyvinea Nold Imon & Elisa Johoniki & Mohd Amiruddin Mohd Kassim & Azizan Omar & Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim & Firdaus Hayati & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree & Jun Rong Ng, 2021. "Fear of COVID-19 and COVID-19 Stress and Association with Sociodemographic and Psychological Process Factors in Cases under Surveillance in a Frontline Worker Population in Borneo," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-18, July.
    13. Domingo Palacios-Ceña & César Fernández-de-las-Peñas & Lidiane L. Florencio & Ana I. de-la-Llave-Rincón & María Palacios-Ceña, 2020. "Emotional Experience and Feelings during First COVID-19 Outbreak Perceived by Physical Therapists: A Qualitative Study in Madrid, Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Jennifer Creese & John-Paul Byrne & Edel Conway & Elizabeth Barrett & Lucia Prihodova & Niamh Humphries, 2021. "“We All Really Need to just Take a Breath”: Composite Narratives of Hospital Doctors’ Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-18, February.

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