Health-care professionals coping responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

Background: In the initial stage of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 creates a prodigious uncertainty not only in general population but also in health care professionals. This often leads to emotional distress in general public and particularly in health care professionals.

Objectives: During COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, the health care professionals experienced unusual stressors. This study aimed to examine the coping responses, optimism, pessimism and psychiatric morbidity of health professionals serving the COVID-19 patients.

Participants: Total 87, health care professionals take part in study, whom 36 were physicians and 51 nursing staff. Among these 44 were male, and 43 were female.

Method: Researchers used cross sectional research design in this study. Physicians and nurses completed self-reported questionnaires. Participants provided demographics data and recorded their responses to self-administered questionnaires. Researchers administered Brief coping orientation to problems experiences (COPE) for assessing the coping strategies, while they assessed psychiatric morbidity through general health questionnaires. Similarly, future expectancy of health care professional was assessed by using life orientation scale. Participants were recruited from quarantine words in two federal government hospitals providing health care services to COVID-19 patients in Pakistan.

Result: The result showed a significant relationship in optimism and problem focus coping style and avoidance coping style. Moreover, male health professionals score high on optimism as compared to female health professionals. While, avoidance coping style were seen higher in female health professional as compare to male. The result revealed that optimism and psychiatric morbidity were significantly positive in health professionals having problem focus and avoidance coping style.