AUTHOR=Liu Shuang , Han Wei , Shen Chenyu , Zhu Changju , Wang Qiaofang , Liang Xianquan , He Xiangxi , Xie Qin , Wei Jie , Wu Miao , Zhao Xiaodong , Liu Hongsheng , Liu Danping , Guo Xiaowang , Nie Shinan , Cao Liping , Lu Linxin , Fang Yaqin , Lu Zhongqiu , Wu Yixu , Zhao Min , Han Jun , Zhang Xinchao , Chang Jie , Xu Shuogui , Ma Wenjie , Si Junli , Qi Suxia , Peng Peng , Chai Yage , Cao Yu , Jiang Yaowen , Yin Wen , Wang Yanjun , Zhan Hong , Huang Yingxiong , Deng Ying , Song Juanjuan , Yang Lishan , Wu Jiali , Ding Banghan , Zheng Danwen , Qian Chuanyun , Huang Rui , Lin Jiyan , Xu Zhihong , Zhang Guoxiu , Hu Yingying , Dou Qingli , Zhang Xiaoming , Tian Yingping , Yao Dongqi , Walline Joseph Harold , Zhu Huadong , Xu Jun , Li Yi , Yu Xuezhong TITLE=Depressive State in the Emergency Department During COVID-19: A National Cross-Sectional Survey in China JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=12 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.566990 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2021.566990 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=

Chinese emergency department (ED) staff encountered significant mental stress while fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We sought to investigate the prevalence and associated factors for depressive symptoms among ED staff (including physicians, nurses, allied health, and auxiliary ED staff). A cross-sectional national survey of ED staff who were on duty and participated in combating the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted March 1–15, 2020. A total of 6,588 emergency medical personnel from 1,060 hospitals responded to this survey. A majority of respondents scored above 10 points on the PHQ-9 standardized test, which is associated with depressive symptoms. Those aged 31–45, those working in the COVID-19 isolation unit, and those with relatives ≤ 16 or ≥70 years old at home all had statistically significant associations with scoring >10 points. Depressive symptoms among Chinese emergency medical staff were likely quite common during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and reinforce the importance of targeted ED staff support during future outbreaks.