Factors Contributing to Psychological Impact on Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19

Since the emergence of Corona virus outbreak, it has become a global health threat and till July 22, 2020. More than 15 million cases of COVID-19 have been documented worldwide and healthcare workers could account for 10–20% of all diagnoses which has aroused fear among them (Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, 2020). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers and factors that contribute to it. The sample consisted of 80 healthcare workers divided into two groups; Group-I comprised of 40 healthcare workers working in corona ward, and Group-II consisted of 40 healthcare workers working in the orthopedic or maternity ward. The sample was taken from government hospitals of Lahore through purposive sampling. They were administered fear of COVID-19 scale (Ahorsu et al., 2022), Generalized Anxiety Scale (Spitzer et al., 2006) and Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983). A mixed research design was used and the results revealed that psychological impact (fear of corona, stress and anxiety symptoms) among the healthcare workers working in corona ward was more as compared to those working in orthopedic or maternity ward. The findings of qualitative phase showed that factors of increased working hour’s fear of transmitting the virus to family members, nature of the virus and insufficient personal safety equipment contributed to the psychological impact (fear of corona, stress and anxiety symptoms) in healthcare workers. The study has implications for health and well-being of health care professionals.