Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic and Related Variables: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of Workers in a Spanish Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: We intend to objectify the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workers of a tertiary hospital. Methods: All the workers were invited to an online survey. In total, 657 workers were recruited, including 536 healthcare workers (HCWs) and 121 non-healthcare workers (nHCWs). General Health Questionnaire-12 items (GHQ-12) was used as a screening tool. Sociodemographic data, working environmental conditions, and health behaviors were also analyzed. Results: inadequate sleep, poor nutritional and social interaction habits, misuse of psychotropics, female gender, COVID-19 clinical diagnosis, and losing a relative by COVID-19 were variables associated with higher probability of GHQ-12 positive screening. Significant differences between “frontline workers” and the rest were not found, nor was higher the probability of psychological distress in healthcare workers compared to non-healthcare workers. After 3 months from the peak of the pandemic, 63.6% of participants screening positive in GHQ-12 reported remaining “the same or worse.” Limitations: Causal inferences cannot be established. Retrieval and selection biases must be considered as the survey was not conducted during the peak of the outbreak. Conclusions: psychological impact of COVID-19 has been broad, heavy, and persistent in our institution. Proper assessment and treatment must be offered to all hospital workers.