Depressive Symptoms Among Frontline Healthcare Workers in a Public Hospital in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: A Post-Pandemic Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with substantial psychological burden among healthcare workers worldwide. Reported prevalences of depressive symptoms range from 21.7% to 64.7%. Nurses and physicians working on the front lines were particularly vulnerable to these psychological changes. This study aimed to describe the severity of depressive symptoms and explore their association with the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics of healthcare workers in a public hospital in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a public hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Ciudad Juarez Mexico. The sample consisted of 296 healthcare workers providing front-line care to patients with COVID-19. A questionnaire collected sociodemographic and occupational variables, including age, sex, marital status, pre-existing health conditions, job title, academic level, and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). The Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II) was utilized to evaluate depressive symptoms. Bivariate analysis was performed using the chi-square test (X2) with the severity of depressive symptoms. Bivariate analyses were performed using a chi-square test (X2), calculating odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the independent predictors of depressive symptoms severity. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 38.5%. The presence of depression was significantly associated with pre-existing medical conditions (p < 0.00001), anxiety (p < 0.00001), female sex (p < 0.006), and having self-isolated to protect one’s family (p < 0.01). Additionally, being a specialist physician was significantly associated with the risk of severe depressive symptoms (p < 0.04). Regarding moderate depressive symptoms, significant associations were found with rarely having access to the cafeteria during the workday (p < 0.004), occasionally having access to PPE (p < 0.005), and not having personal protective equipment at all (p < 0.04). Conclusions: A high prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed among front-line healthcare workers, showing significant statistical associations with female sex, specific medical backgrounds, self-isolation practices, and occupational pathways.