Junior doctors’ mental health and coronavirus disease safety concerns

Objective: This article aims to assess whether caring for COVID-19 patients impacted junior doctors’ COVID-19-related anxieties, general anxiety and depression, and the relative impact of depression, general anxiety and specific COVID-19 anxiety on work and social functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Recruitment occurred between June and August 2020 in New South Wales, Australia. Demographic information, symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), generalised anxiety (GAD-7), and COVID-19-related anxieties around infections, help-seeking behaviours, and work and social functioning (WSAS) were collected. Results: About one third (n=73, 33%) had cared for a patient with overt or covert COVID-19 in the previous month. However, the extent of COVID-19-related anxiety symptoms was largely unrelated to caring for COVID-19 patients. Instead, the presence of other COVID-19 concerns and gender predicted variations in COVID-19 concerns for one's own safety and the safety of loved ones. Conclusion: COVID-19 anxiety symptoms were largely unrelated to caring for COVID-19 patients, while COVID-19-related anxiety around the safety of family and friends added to impaired functioning in addition to the established impact of depression and general anxiety. Implications for public health: Provided the replicability of these findings, this research highlights the importance of addressing pandemic-related anxieties in junior doctor populations.