Assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder in front-line and non-front-line medical staff with COVID-19 patients: a cross-sectional study in Iran

Background. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can occur after exposure to a traumatic event. Objectives. This study is designed to evaluate PTSD in front-line and non-front-line medical staff who provide care for COVID-19 patients. Material and methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 medical staff in two hospitals of Ahvaz. The inclusion criterion was having more than six months of service. Health providers with psychological disorders, a history of crises in the past six months or divorced subjects were excluded from the study. A demographic questionnaire and the PTSD questionnaire were completed by participants. The Independent t-Test, chi-square test and linear regression were used to analyze the data. Results. The total score of PTSD was 50.08 +/- 12.24 and 44.06 +/- 11.32 in front-line and non-front-line medical staff, respectively (p < 0.001). 10% and 1% of front-line and non-front-line medical staff had severe PTSD, respectively. Females were 7.47 times more likely to have PTSD compared to males. Medical staff who had a child were 6 times more likely to have PTSD compared with those without a child. Medical staff involved in the care of COVID-19 patients were 5.67 times more likely to have PTSD (p < 0.001). Health providers whose relatives died from COVID-19 were 10.59 times more likely to have PTSD. Conclusions. The results of this study showed that front-line medical staff are more susceptible to PTSD in comparison to non-front-line medical staff. Health policymakers should pay attention to the psychological health of medical staff in times of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.