The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stress in Anesthesiology and Reanimation Specialist and Research Assistants

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the change in anxiety levels of anesthesiology and reanimation physicians who worked in the initial fight against the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Türkiye while trying to understand the factors affecting the change in anxiety. Materials and Methods:An online survey of two parts was conducted between December 2020 and March 2021.The first part included questions to identify the sociodemographic information, while the second part included the State-Trait Anxiety Scale Inventory.Results: 19.2% (n=233) of 1210 anesthesiology and reanimation physicians responded to the questionnaire.The mean age of the participants was 37.61±9.36,and the survey was mainly answered by research assistants (39.4%) and specialists (39.4%).A negative significant relationship was found between age and the State (p=0.001) and the Trait Anxiety Scale (p=0.017).The State-Trait Anxiety Scale scores among research assistants differed significantly from those of professors (p=0.043 and p=0.039, respectively).The State Anxiety Scale scores were also significantly higher in participants in daily shifts than those who worked night shifts (p=0.011).The State-Trait Anxiety Scale scores of the participants living alone were significantly higher than those living with family and friends (p=0.003 and p=0.049, respectively). Conclusion:Psychological care and treatment for anesthesiology and reanimation physicians, especially young research assistants and specialists living away from the support of their families during a pandemic becomes more important but is clearly neglected.