Psychological status among health workers in a COVID-19 and a regular intensive care unit of an Indonesian tertiary hospital
Abstract
Background & objective: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed significant stress on health workers adversely affecting their mental health and reducing their quality of life leading to impaired cognitive and emotional capacity, leading to suboptimal decision-making. This study examined the psychological status in health workers providing services in the COVID-19 ICU at tertiary hospital RSUD Dr. Saiful Anwar Malang and to identify groups at high risk.
Methodology: The method used was a cross-sectional research method using an online form containing five forms to assess depression scores (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), burnout (MBI), spirituality (DSES), and self-compassion (SCS) and distributed to ICU health workers in COVID-19 ICU and those in regular ICU at RSUD Dr. Saiful Anwar Malang.
Results: The results demonstrated a significant difference in anxiety levels between health workers in COVID-19 ICU and those in regular ICU (P = 0.024). Additionally, the sociodemographic group identified as being at significant risk for psychological distress was the resident group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic influences the psychological status of health workers, especially in the resident group, and indicates a high urgency to overcome problems to improve the performance of health workers. The study recommends further investigation and effective management of healthcare workers' mental health.
Abbreviations: DSES: Daily Spiritual Experience Scale, GAD-7: Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, ICU: Intensive Care Unit, MBI: Maslach Burnout Inventory, PHQ-9: Patient Health Questionnaire-9, SCS: Self-Compassion Scale
Keywords: Burnout; COVID-19; Health Personnel; Intensive Care Unit; Psychological Distress; Self-Compassion
Citation: Fatoni AZ, Firdaus IZ, Yudhantara DS, Putri FR, Istiqomah R, Dian W, Ulya Z. Psychological status among health workers in a COVID-19 and a regular intensive care unit of an Indonesian tertiary hospital. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2026;30(2):224-231. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v30i2.3130
Received: May 09, 2025; Revised: October 26, 2025; Accepted: January 01, 2026
