Fear of COVID-19 and health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional study among healthcare professionals

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) struggled on the front lines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic under unprecedented pressure. Fear was prevailing, bringing additional strain, as well as adverse effects on their mental health. The present study investigated the association between the fear of COVID-19 and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in HCPs from two large peripheral hospitals in Greece during the pandemic (N=224). The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19s) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were self-administered from October 2020 to May 2021. Demographic, occupational, and COVID-related information was also collected. Most participants were females (64.3%), and their mean age was 45.5 (±9.7) years. They were medical doctors and nurses (65.6%), they had a mean working experience of 17.5 (±10.1) years, and they were providing in-person care often or most of the time to COVID-19 patients (85.7%). Most (71.9%) reported adequate knowledge of COVID-19, yet about half (54.9%) scored above the FCV-19s cut-off point, indicating elevated fear. The mean physical health component score was 69.8 (±19.5), and the mean mental health component score was 59.4 (±22.2), suggesting a deteriorated HRQoL. Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with physical and mental health above and beyond demographic, occupational, and COVID-related factors. The final model accounted for 18.2% of the variance in the physical health component score and 27.4% of the variance in the mental health component score. Results were consistent with previous findings and highlighted the need for targeted interventions to promote the health and well-being of healthcare professionals. In anticipation of future crises and their management, potential interventions for enabling adaptive coping and promoting resilience may be also important.