Top

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Published in:

Open Access 17-03-2023 | SARS-CoV-2 | Research

The association between experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers for six national medical research centers in Japan

Authors: Rachana Manandhar Shrestha, Yosuke Inoue, Shohei Yamamoto, Ami Fukunaga, Makiko Sampei, Ryo Okubo, Naho Morisaki, Norio Ohmagari, Takanori Funaki, Kazue Ishizuka, Koushi Yamaguchi, Yohei Sasaki, Kazuyoshi Takeda, Takeshi Miyama, Masayo Kojima, Takeshi Nakagawa, Kunihiro Nishimura, Soshiro Ogata, Jun Umezawa, Shiori Tanaka, Manami Inoue, Maki Konishi, Kengo Miyo, Tetsuya Mizoue

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 9/2023

Abstract

Background

Discrimination is an important determinant of negative mental health outcomes. This study determined the association between the experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Japan.

Methods

This cross-sectional study conducted a health survey among 5703 HCWs of six national medical and research centers in Japan from October 2020 to March 2021. COVID-19-related discrimination was defined either when participants or their family members were badmouthed or when they felt discriminated against in some way. We used the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) to assess the presence of severe psychological distress (≥ 13 points). We used logistic regression models to examine the association between discrimination and psychological distress. We also identified factors associated with discrimination.

Results

Of the participants, 484 (8.4%) reported COVID-19-related discrimination and 486 (8.5%) had severe psychological distress. HCWs who were female vs. male (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28–1.55), had high vs. low viral exposure (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.81–2.93), and worked for 11 or more hours/day vs. 8 or less hours/day (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.35–1.49) were more likely to have experienced COVID-19-related discrimination. The AOR (95% CI) of severe psychological distress was 1.83 (1.29–2.59) among those who experienced discrimination. In the stratified analysis by sociodemographic and job-related factors, all the interactions did not reach statistical significance (p for interaction > 0.20).

Conclusion

Experience of COVID-19-related discrimination was associated with severe psychological distress among HCWs. During the pandemic, effective measures should be taken to prevent the development of negative mental health outcomes in HCWs who experience discrimination.

Gholami M, Fawad I, Shadan S et al (2021) COVID-19 and healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Infect Dis IJID Off Publ Int Soc Infect Dis 104:335–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.01.013CrossRef

Nguyen LH, Drew DA, Graham MS et al (2020) Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Public Health 5:e475–e483. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30164-XCrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

McKay D, Heisler M, Mishori R et al (2020) Attacks against health-care personnel must stop, especially as the world fights COVID-19. Lancet 395:1743–1745. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31191-0CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

World Health Organization (2020) Attacks on health care in the context of COVID-19. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/attacks-on-health-care-in-the-context-of-covid-19. Accessed 20 Jan 2021

Devi S (2020) COVID-19 exacerbates violence against health workers. Lancet 396:658. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31858-4CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Vento S, Cainelli F, Vallone A (2020) Violence against healthcare workers: a worldwide phenomenon with serious consequences. Front Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.570459CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Kirk AH, Chong S-L, Kam K-Q et al (2021) Psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric healthcareworkers. Ann Acad Med Singap 50:203–211. https://doi.org/10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2020527CrossRefPubMed

Lau J, Tan DH-Y, Wong GJ et al (2021) The impact of COVID-19 on private and public primary care physicians: a cross-sectional study. J Infect Public Health 14:285–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2020.12.028CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Greene T, Harju-Seppänen J, Adeniji M et al (2021) Predictors and rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety in UK frontline health and social care workers during COVID-19. Eur J Psychotraumatol 12:1882781. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1882781CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

10.

Iwasaki A, Grubaugh ND (2020) Why does Japan have so few cases of COVID-19? EMBO Mol Med 12:e12481. https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.202012481CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

11.

The Japan Times (2020) Front-line health care workers in Japan face discrimination over coronavirus. In: Jpn. Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/05/29/national/health-care-workers-discrimination-coronavirus/. Accessed 10 May 2021

12.

Jecker NS, Takahashi S (2021) Shaming and stigmatizing healthcare workers in Japan During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Public Health Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1093/phe/phab003CrossRef

13.

Pascoe EA, Richman LS (2009) Perceived discrimination and health: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull 135:531–554. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016059CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

14.

Labrague LJ, De los Santos JAA, Fronda DC (2021) Perceived COVID-19-associated discrimination, mental health and professional-turnover intention among frontline clinical nurses: the mediating role of resilience. Int J Ment Health Nurs. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12920CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

15.

Mediavilla R, Fernández-Jiménez E, Andreo J et al (2021) Association between perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among health workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpsm.2021.06.001CrossRefPubMedCentral

16.

Sahashi Y, Endo H, Sugimoto T, Nabeta T, Nishizaki K, Kikuchi A et al (2021) Worries and concerns among healthcare workers during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic: a web-based cross-sectional survey. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 8:41. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00716-xCrossRef

17.

Yamamoto S, Tanaka A, Ohmagari N et al (2022) Use of heated tobacco products, moderate alcohol drinking, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titers after BNT162b2 vaccination among Japanese healthcare workers. Prev Med 161:107123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107123CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

18.

Furukawa TA, Kawakami N, Saitoh M et al (2008) The performance of the Japanese version of the K6 and K10 in the World Mental Health Survey Japan. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 17:152–158. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.257CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

19.

Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ et al (2003) Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:184–189. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.2.184CrossRefPubMed

20.

Do Duy C, Nong VM, Van AN et al (2020) COVID-19 related stigma and its association with mental health of health-care workers after quarantined in Vietnam. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13120.10.1111/pcn.13120CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

21.

Elhadi M, Msherghi A, Elgzairi M et al (2020) Burnout syndrome among hospital healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil war: a cross-sectional study. Front Psychiatry 11:579563. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.579563CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

22.

Yadav K, Laskar AR, Rasania SK (2020) A study on stigma and apprehensions related to COVID-19 among healthcare professionals in Delhi. Int J Community Med Public Health 7:4547–4553. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20204760CrossRef

23.

Zandifar A, Badrfam R, Mohammadian Khonsari N et al (2020) Prevalence and associated factors of posttraumatic stress symptoms and stigma among health care workers in contact with COVID-19 patients. Iran J Psychiatry 15:340–350PubMedPubMedCentral

24.

Lin R, Lin Y, Hsia Y, Kuo C (2021) Long working hours and burnout in health care workers: non-linear dose-response relationship and the effect mediated by sleeping hours—a cross-sectional study. J Occup Health. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12228CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

25.

Smith M, Segal J, Robinson L (2021) Burnout Prevention and Treatment—HelpGuide.org. In: https://www.helpguide.org. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm. Accessed 13 Jun 2022

26.

Schubert M, Ludwig J, Freiberg A et al (2021) Stigmatization from work-related COVID-19 exposure: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 18:6183. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126183CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

27.

Robinson E, Daly M (2021) Explaining the rise and fall of psychological distress during the COVID-19 crisis in the United States: Longitudinal evidence from the Understanding America Study. Br J Health Psychol 26:570–587. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12493CrossRefPubMed

28.

United Nations (2020) Women most affected by COVID-19, should participate in recovery efforts. https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2020/07/women-most-affected-covid-19-should-participate-recovery-efforts. Accessed 27 May 2022

Title: The association between experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers for six national medical research centers in Japan
Authors: Rachana Manandhar Shrestha
Yosuke Inoue
Shohei Yamamoto
Ami Fukunaga
Makiko Sampei
Ryo Okubo
Naho Morisaki
Norio Ohmagari
Takanori Funaki
Kazue Ishizuka
Koushi Yamaguchi
Yohei Sasaki
Kazuyoshi Takeda
Takeshi Miyama
Masayo Kojima
Takeshi Nakagawa
Kunihiro Nishimura
Soshiro Ogata
Jun Umezawa
Shiori Tanaka
Manami Inoue
Maki Konishi
Kengo Miyo
Tetsuya Mizoue
Publication date: 17-03-2023
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 9/2023
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-023-02460-w

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

The association between experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers for six national medical research centers in Japan

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 9/2023

A qualitative integrative analysis of service users’ and service providers’ perspectives on ways to reduce coercion in mental health care

Estimated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence and treatment of depressive symptoms in Peru: an interrupted time series analysis in 2014–2021

A review of excluded groups and non-response in population-based mental health surveys from high-income countries

Mental Health First Aid crisis role-plays between pharmacists and simulated patients with lived experience: a thematic analysis of debrief

Length and associated characteristics of short-term detentions: an analysis of detentions under the Mental Health Act in Scotland, 2006–2018

Social integration and risk of mortality among African-Americans: the Jackson heart study