The effect of Covid-19 on sleep quality, anxiety and depression on healthcare staff at a tertiary hospital in Turkey.

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has forced healthcare staff into an unprecedented situation, such as making tough decisions and practising under enormous pressure.

Aim: This study was designed to investigate the effect of Covid-19 on sleep quality, anxiety and depression in healthcare staff at a tertiary hospital.

Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study recruited healthcare staff working at a tertiary hospital. Those who had given their informed consent participated in this study between April 17 and May 17, 2020. Data were collected using the introductory information form, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS). The data were then analyzed on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v.24.

Results: The mean scores of the respondents derived from the HADS-Anxiety (HADS-A) and HADS-Depression (HADS-D) scales were 7.89 ± 4.60 and 7.22 ± 4.13, respectively. Their depression levels were established to be at risk, though their anxiety levels were not. The mean PSQI score turned out to be 8.42 ± 2.30 for the participants, most of whom (92.9%) experienced poor sleep quality. Total sleep quality of the respondents exhibited a moderate positive correlation with HADS-A scores and a weak positive correlation with HADS-D scores (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Our major conclusion from the collected data is that healthcare staff suffered from poor sleep quality, and that their depression levels, but not anxiety levels, were at risk. Providing appropriate information about the health care of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 as well as offering regular psychoeducation-psychological support services and resting areas can reduce the susceptibility of healthcare staff to anxiety and depression and improve their overall sleep quality.