Perceived Social Support and Mental Health Issues among the Intensive Care Unit Staff during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Web based Cross-Sectional Study

Background and objective: The Covid-19 pandemic has put tremendous pressure on the already stretched area of anaesthesia and critical care which witnessed a surge in patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation support.  The present study aimed at analysing the adverse psychological implications of COVID-19 on the staff working in intensive care units (ICU’s) and the protective role of perceived social support on their mental health. Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out using an anonymized online survey comprising standardized questionnaires evaluating probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and perceived social support. The data was collected in May, 2021 and included anaesthesia and critical care clinicians recruited from the tertiary care hospitals of the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Results: Results indicated that, of the 160 responses that were obtained, over half reported probable anxiety (57.5%), 77.5% reported burnout, 41% met the threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder and 38% for depression. Multivariate regression showed that low perceived social support and anxiety predicted high probability of PTSD in the analytic sample. Conclusion: Our findings indicated a significant degree of adverse psychological impact among the intensive care clinicians working with patients having Covid-19 and perceived social support moderated the link between stress and mental health variables.