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Mental Health Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 9th, 2023 , Revised On August 16, 2023

Introduction

You probably found your way here looking for mental health topics for your final year research project. Look no further, we have drafted a list of issues, and their research aims to help you when you are brainstorming for dissertation or thesis topics on mental health in 2020.

PhD-qualified writers of our team have developed these topics, so you can trust to use these topics for drafting your dissertation.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a brief research proposal or full dissertation service from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an introduction to the topic, research question , aim and objectives, literature review , and the proposed research methodology to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our dissertation examples to understand how to structure your dissertation .

Latest Mental Health Dissertation Topics for 2023

Review the step-by-step guide on how to write your dissertation here .

• Topic 1: Assessing the Influence of Parents’ Divorce or Separation on Adolescent Children regarding long-term psychological impact.
• Topic 2: Investigating the impact of Trauma and Health-related quality of life on a child’s Mental health and self-worth.

Topic 3: Assessing the effect of Psychological training on males suffering from Post-Surgery Anxiety in the UK.

• Topic 4: Investigating the Relationship between Mental Illness and Suicides- A case study of UK’s Young Adults.

Topic 5: Examining the behaviour of Mental Health Nurses taking care of Schizophrenia Patients in the UK.

Topic 1: an assessment of the influence of parents' divorce or separation on adolescent children in terms of long-term psychological impact..

Research Aim: This study aims to investigate the level of traumas experienced by the children of divorced or separated parents. The principal aim of this study is to explore the long-term psychological impacts of parents’ divorce on the life of children regardless of their gender and age in terms of mental wellbeing, academic performance, and self-worth.

Topic 2: An investigation of the impact of Trauma and Health-related quality of life on the Mental health and Self-worth of a child.

Research Aim: This study aims to assess the long-term impacts of the trauma children face in their early years of life on their overall mental health. Also, numerous studies have emphasized improving the quality of life for children who tend to experience multiple traumas and take them along in adulthood. Therefore, this study also proposed the impacts of traumatic childhood experiences on self-worth, mental health, and vitality of implementing firm intervention before the child reaches adulthood.

Research Aim: Postoperative problems may occur as a result of surgical stress. This study aims to examine different approaches to control post-surgical anxiety and improve patients’ lives in the short and long term, focusing on male patients in the UK. It will also give us an understanding of how psychological training and interventions affect anxiety in male patients and help them overcome this through a systematic review.

Topic 4: Investigating the Relationship between Mental illness and Suicides- A case study of UK's Young Adults.

Research Aim: This study aims to find the relationship between mental illness and suicides and risk factors in the UK. This study will specifically focus on young adults. It will examine different mental disorders and how they have led to suicide and will analyse further studies of people who had died by suicide and find evidence of the presence or absence of mental illness.

Research Aim: Negative behaviours and discrimination have been usually reported as a reason for the inconvenience in the treatment of mentally ill or schizophrenia patients, which negatively impacts the patient’s results. Health care professionals’ attitudes have been regarded as being more negative than the general public, which lowers the outlook for patients suffering from mental illness. This study will examine the behaviour of mental health nurses regarding schizophrenia patients in the UK and also focus on the characteristics associated with nurses’ attitudes.

COVID-19 Mental Health Research Topics

Topic1: impacts of the coronavirus on the mental health of various age groups.

Research Aim: This study will reveal the impacts of coronavirus on the mental health of various age groups

Topic 2: Mental health and psychological resilience during COVID-19

Research Aim: Social distancing has made people isolated and affected their mental health. This study will highlight various measures to overcome the stress and mental health of people during coronavirus.

Topic 3: The mental health of children and families during COVID-19

Research Aim: This study will address the challenging situations faced by children and families during lockdown due to COVID-19. It will also discuss various ways to overcome the fear of disease and stay positive.

Topic 4: Mental wellbeing of patients during the Coronavirus pandemic

Research Aim: This study will focus on the measures taken by the hospital management, government, and families to ensure patients’ mental well-being, especially COVID-19 patients.

Best Mental Health Topics for Your Dissertation in the Year 2021

Topic 1: kids and their relatives with cancer: psychological challenges.

Research Aim: In cancer diagnoses and therapies, children often don’t know what happens. Many have psychosocial problems, including rage, terror, depression, disturbing their sleep, inexpiable guilt, and panic. Therefore, this study is designed to identify and treat the child and its family members’ psychological issues.

Topic 2: Hematopoietic device reaction in ophthalmology patient’s radiation therapy

Research Aim: This research is based on the analysis of hematopoietic devices’ reactions to ophthalmology’s radiation.

Topic 3: Psychological effects of cyberbullying Vs. physical bullying: A counter study

Research Aim: This research will focus on the effects of cyberbullying and physical bullying and their consequences on the victim’s mental health. The most significant part is the counter effects on our society’s environment and human behaviour, particularly youth.

Topic 4: Whether or not predictive processing is a theory of perceptual consciousness?

Research Aim: This research aims to identify: whether or not predictive processing is a theory of perceptual consciousness?

Topic 5: Importance of communication in a relationship

Research Aim: This research aims to address the importance of communication in relationships and the communication gap consequences.

Topic 6: Eating and personality disorders

Research Aim: This research aims to focus on eating and personality disorders

Topic 7: Analysis of teaching, assessment, and evaluation of students and learning differences

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse teaching methods, assessment, and evaluation systems of students and their learning differences

Topic 8: Social and psychological effects of virtual networks

Research Aim: This research aims to study the social and psychological effects of virtual networks

Topic 9: The role of media in provoking aggression

Research Aim: This research aims to address the role of media and in provoking aggression among people

Best Mental Health Topics for Your Dissertation in the Year 2020

Topic 1: what is the impact of social media platforms on the mental wellbeing of adults.

Research Aim: the current study aims to investigate the impact social media platforms tend to have on adults’ mental well-being with a particular focus on the United Kingdom. While many studies have been carried out to gauge the impact of social media platforms on teenagers’ mental well-being, little to no research has been performed to investigate how the health of adults might be affected by the same and how social media platforms like Facebook impact them.

Topic 2: The contemporary practical management approach to treating personality disorders

Research Aim: This research will discuss the contemporary practical management approach for treating personality disorders in mental health patients. In the previous days, much of the personality disorder treatments were based on medicines and drugs. Therefore, this research will address contemporary and practical ways to manage how personality disorders affect the mental state of the individuals who have the disease.

Topic 3: How is Prozac being used in the modern-day to treat self-diagnosed depression?

Research Aim: In the current day and age, besides people suffering from clinical depression, many of the teens and the adults across have started to suffer from self-diagnosed depression. To treat their self-diagnosed depression, individuals take Prozac through all the wrong means, which harms their mental state even more. Therefore, the current study aims to shed light on how Prozac is being used in the modern age and the adverse effects of misinformed use on the patients.

Topic 4: Are women more prone to suffer from mental disorders than men: Comparative analysis

Research Aim: There have been several arguments regarding whether women are more likely to suffer from mental disorders than men. Much of the research carried out provides evidence that women are more prone to suffer from mental disorders. This research study aims to conduct a comparative analysis to determine whether it’s more likely for men or women to suffer from mental disorders and what role biological and societal factors play in determining the trend.

Topic 5: The impact of breakups on the mental health of men?

Research Aim: Several studies have been carried out to discuss how women are affected more by a breakup than men. However, little research material is available in support of the impact the end of a relationship can have on men’s mental health. Therefore, this research study will fill out the gap in research to determine the impact of a breakup on men’s mental health and stability.

Topic 6: A theoretical analysis of the Impact of emotional attachment on mental health?

Research Aim: This research aims to analyse the theories developed around emotional attachment to address how emotional attachment can harm individuals’ mental health across the globe. Several theories discuss the role that emotional attachment tends to play in the mind of a healthy being, and how emotional attachment can often negatively affect mental well-being.

Topic 7: How do social media friendships contribute to poor mental health?

Research Aim: This research idea aims to address how social media friendships and networking can often lead to a lack of self-acceptance, self-loathing, self-pity, self-comparison, and depression due to the different mindsets that are present in today’s world.

Topic 8: What role do parents play in ensuring the mental well-being of their children?

Research Aim: It is assumed that parents tend to stop playing a role in ensuring that the mental health and well-being of their children are being maintained after a certain age. Therefore, this study will aim to put forward the idea that even after the children pass the age of 18, activities and their relationship with their parents would always play a role in the way their mental health is being transformed.

Topic 9: A study on the mental health of soldiers returning from Iraq?

Research Aim: This topic idea puts forward the aim that the mental health of soldiers who return from war-struck areas is always a subject of interest, as each of the soldiers carries a mental burden. Therefore, it is vital to understand the soldiers’ mental health returning from Iraq, focusing on what causes their mental health to deteriorate during the war and suggestions of what to do or who to call if they do become unwell.

Topic 10: How the contemporary media practices in the UK are leading to mental health problems?

Research Aim: The media is known to have control and influence over people’s mindsets who are connected to it. Many of the contemporary media practices developed in the UK can negatively impact the mental well-being of individuals, which makes it necessary to analyse how they are contributing to the mental health problems among the UK population.

Topic 11: What is the impact of television advertising on the mental development of children in the UK?

Research Aim: This topic would aim to address how television advertising can negatively impact children’s mental development in the United Kingdom, as it has been observed in many studies that television advertising is detrimental to the mental health of children.

Topic 12: How deteriorating mental health can have an Impact on physical health?

Research Aim: This research aims to address the side-effects of deteriorating mental health on the physical health of individuals in the society, as it is believed that the majority of the physical ailments in the modern-day and age are due to the deteriorating mental health of individuals. The study can address the treatments for many ailments in our society due to deteriorating mental health and well-being.

Topic 13: The relationship between unemployment and mental health

Research Aim: How unemployment relates to concepts, such as a declining economy or lack of social skills and education, has been frequently explored by many researchers in the past. However, not many have discussed the relationship between unemployment and the mental health of unemployed individuals. Therefore, this topic will help address the problems faced by individuals due to unemployment because of the mental blocks they are likely to develop and experience. In the future, it would lead to fewer people being depressed due to unemployment when further research is carried out.

Topic 14: The mental health problems of prisoners in the United Kingdom

Research Aim: While prisoners across the globe are criticised and studied for the negativity that goes on in their mindsets, one would rarely research the mental health problems they tend to develop when they become a prisoner for committing any crime. It is often assumed that it is the life inside the prison walls that impacts the prisoners’ mental health in a way that leads to them committing more crimes. Therefore, this research topic has been developed to study prison’s impact on prisoners’ mental well-being in the United Kingdom to eventually decrease the number of crimes that occur due to the negative environment inside the prisons.

Topic 15: Mental well-being of industry workers in China

Research Aim: While many research studies have been carried out regarding the conditions that the workers in China tend to be exposed to, there is very little supporting evidence regarding the impact such working conditions have on the mindset and mental health of the workers. Therefore, this study aims to address the challenges faced by industry workers in China and the impact that such challenges can have on their mental well-being.

Topic 16: Is the provision of mental health care services in the United Kingdom effective?

Research Aim: Many people have made different assumptions regarding the mental health care services provided across the globe. However, it seems that little to no research has been carried out regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the provision of mental health care services in the United Kingdom. Therefore, this study aims to put forward research into the mental health care services provided in well-developed countries like the United Kingdom to gauge the awareness and importance of mental health in the region.

Topic 17: What are the mental health problems the minorities in the United Kingdom face?

Research Aim: It is believed that the minorities in the United Kingdom are likely to experience physical abuse, societal abuse and are often exposed to discrimination and unfair acts at the workplace and in their social circle. The study investigates the range of mental problems faced by minorities in the UK, which need to be addressed to have equality, diversity, and harmony.

Topic 18: The impact the Coronavirus has had on the mental health of the Chinese people

Research Aim: The spread of the deadly Coronavirus has led to many deaths in the region of China, and many of those who have been suspected of the virus are being put in isolation and quarantine. Such conditions tend to have hurt the mental health of those who have suffered from the disease and those who have watched people suffer from it. Therefore, the current study aims to address how the Coronavirus has impacted the mental health of the Chinese people.

Topic 19: How to create change in mental health organisations in China?

Research Aim: Research suggests little awareness about mental health in many Asian countries. As mental health problems are on the rise across the globe, it is necessary to change mental health organisations. Therefore, the study aims to discuss how to create change in mental health organisations in the Asian region using China’s example.

Topic 20: Addressing the mental health concerns of the Syrian refugees in the UK

Research Aim: This research project would address the concerns in terms of the refugees’ mental health and well-being, using an example of the Syrian refugees who had been allowed entry into the United Kingdom. This idea aims to put forward the negative effects that migration can have on the refugees and how further research is required to combat such issues not just in the United Kingdom but worldwide.

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service!

Important Notes:

As a mental health student looking to get good grades, it is essential to develop new ideas and experiment on existing mental health theories – i.e., to add value and interest in the topic of your research.

Mental health is vast and interrelated to so many other academic disciplines like civil engineering ,  construction ,  project management , engineering management , healthcare , finance and accounting , artificial intelligence , tourism , physiotherapy , sociology , management , project management , and nursing . That is why it is imperative to create a project management dissertation topic that is articular, sound, and actually solves a practical problem that may be rampant in the field.

We can’t stress how important it is to develop a logical research topic based on your entire research. There are several significant downfalls to getting your topic wrong; your supervisor may not be interested in working on it, the topic has no academic creditability, the research may not make logical sense, there is a possibility that the study is not viable.

This impacts your time and efforts in writing your dissertation as you may end up in the cycle of rejection at the initial stage of the dissertation. That is why we recommend reviewing existing research to develop a topic, taking advice from your supervisor, and even asking for help in this particular stage of your dissertation.

While developing a research topic, keeping our advice in mind will allow you to pick one of the best mental health dissertation topics that fulfill your requirement of writing a research paper and add to the body of knowledge.

Therefore, it is recommended that when finalizing your dissertation topic, you read recently published literature to identify gaps in the research that you may help fill.

Remember- dissertation topics need to be unique, solve an identified problem, be logical, and be practically implemented. Please look at some of our sample mental health dissertation topics to get an idea for your own dissertation.

How to Structure your Mental Health Dissertation

A well-structured dissertation can help students to achieve a high overall academic grade.

• A Title Page
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Abstract: A summary of the research completed
• Table of Contents
• Introduction : This chapter includes the project rationale, research background, key research aims and objectives, and the research problems. An outline of the structure of a dissertation can also be added to this chapter.
• Literature Review : This chapter presents relevant theories and frameworks by analysing published and unpublished literature available on the chosen research topic to address research questions . The purpose is to highlight and discuss the selected research area’s relative weaknesses and strengths whilst identifying any research gaps. Break down the topic, and key terms that can positively impact your dissertation and your tutor.
• Methodology : The data collection and analysis methods and techniques employed by the researcher are presented in the Methodology chapter which usually includes research design , research philosophy, research limitations, code of conduct, ethical consideration, data collection methods, and data analysis strategy .
• Findings and Analysis : Findings of the research are analysed in detail under the Findings and Analysis chapter. All key findings/results are outlined in this chapter without interpreting the data or drawing any conclusions. It can be useful to include graphs, charts, and tables in this chapter to identify meaningful trends and relationships.
• Discussion and Conclusion : The researcher presents his interpretation of results in this chapter, and state whether the research hypothesis has been verified or not. An essential aspect of this section of the paper is to draw a linkage between the results and evidence from the literature. Recommendations with regards to implications of the findings and directions for the future may also be provided. Finally, a summary of the overall research, along with final judgments, opinions, and comments, must be included in the form of suggestions for improvement.
• References : This should be completed following your University’s requirements
• Bibliography
• Appendices : Any additional information, diagrams, and graphs used to complete the dissertation but not part of the dissertation should be included in the Appendices chapter. Essentially, the purpose is to expand the information/data.

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• Open access
• Published: 08 April 2024

Impact of COVID-19 first wave on the mental health of healthcare workers in a Front-Line Spanish Tertiary Hospital: lessons learned

• Juan D. Molina 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,
• Franco Amigo 5 , 6 ,
• Gemma Vilagut 5 , 6 ,
• Philippe Mortier 5 , 6 ,
• Carmen Muñoz-Ruiperez 7 ,
• Irene Rodrigo Holgado 8 ,
• Alba Juanes González 9 ,
• Carolina Elisa Combarro Ripoll 9 ,
• Jordi Alonso 5 , 6 , 10 &
• Gabriel Rubio 2 , 3 , 11 , 12  

Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  8149 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at high risk of experiencing psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact on HCWs’ mental health in a Spanish hospital. Cross-sectional study of HCW, active between May and June 2020. A web-based survey assessed probable current mental disorders (major depressive disorder [PHQ-8 ≥ 10], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD-7 ≥ 10], panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD; PLC-5 ≥ 7], or substance use disorder [CAGE-AID ≥ 2]). The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) was used to assess severe impairment and items taken from the modified self‐report version of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C‐SSRS) assessed suicidal thoughts and behaviors. A total of 870 HCWs completed the survey. Most frequent probable mental disorders were major depressive disorder (33.6%), generalized anxiety disorder (25.5%), panic attacks (26.9%), PTSD (27.2%), and substance use disorder (5.0%). Being female, having aged 18–29 years, being an auxiliary nurse, direct exposure to COVID-19-infected patients, and pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorders were positively associated with mental issues. Hospital HCWs presented a high prevalence of symptoms of mental disorders, especially depression, PTSD, panic attacks, and anxiety. Younger individuals and those with lifetime mental disorders have been more vulnerable to experiencing them.

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Introduction

In 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), with 618 million and 13.8 million confirmed cases and 6.8 million and 119,618 deaths worldwide and in Spain, respectively as of March 2023 1 , 2 . Epidemiological studies have shown that past infectious diseases resulted in long-term and persistent psychological consequences among those affected 3 , 4 , 5 . Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened global mental health, both indirectly via disruptive societal changes and directly via neuropsychiatric sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection 6 . Indeed, a previous Spanish study analyzing the clinical picture during the first wave by a factor analysis, showed that anosmia/ageusia, cognitive complaints, worry/nervousness, slowing down, and sadness have been the most frequently reported neuropsychological symptoms among hospitalized COVID-19 patients 7 . Therefore, in addition to its effects on the economy and public health, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the physical health and psychological well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs have played a crucial role and are considered a high-risk population for suffering from psychological and mental disorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic 8 . The absence of data on transmission dynamics and evidence-based recommendations regarding the necessary protective measures made the situation particularly stressful for individuals employed in the healthcare sector. Moreover, HCWs were required to wear personal protective equipment, which can reduce their mobility and slow down their operations, can cause respiratory discomfort and difficulty, further exacerbating the psychological symptoms experienced by HCWs 9 , 10 . Several studies have documented that a significant proportion of HCWs experienced persistent psychological issues including anxiety, depression, and insomnia 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 . Spain ranked first in the world in healthcare infections during the first wave of the pandemic 14 . A nationwide, cross-sectional, web-based survey determined the mental health impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (May–September 2020) on 9138 Spanish HCWs from 18 healthcare centers (MINDCOVID study) 15 . Authors revealed that approximately one in two HCWs experience an ongoing mental disorder, and 14.5% suffer a disabling one 15 . Another study by the MINDCOVID group, with data from 5450 HCWs of 10 Spanish hospitals between May and July 2020, reported a prevalence of 30-day suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) of 8.4% 16 .

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of HCWs during the first wave in one of the largest front-line tertiary hospitals from Spain and to explore potential factors associated with these probable mental disorders. These data would complement those previously reported in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, thus, providing a more detailed picture of the situation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in this Spanish hospital.

Study design

This is an observational analysis of data from HCWs at the University Hospital 12 de Octubre (Madrid, Spain). Information from HCWs represents a sub-analysis from the MINDCOVID study 15 . Institutional representatives from the hospital invited (by mail) all healthcare employees to participate in the study. All HCWs from the hospital with an institutional e-mail account were invited to participate, without any additional restriction. All participants accepted the online informed consent before being able to access the interview.

Evaluation of probable mental health disorders

HCWs completed a web-based survey between May and June 2020 that included, among other items, standard screening instruments for measuring probable current mental disorders. Major depressive disorder (MDD) was assessed by the Spanish version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), with the cut-off point ≥ 10 of the sum score 17 , 18 . Panic attacks were evaluated by assessing the number of attacks in the 30 days prior to the interview 19 , 20 . For evaluating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the 4-item version of the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was applied 20 , 21 . Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was evaluated by using the Spanish adaptation of the 7-item GAD scale (GAD-7), with a cut-off point of ≥ 10 19 , 22 , 23 , 24 . Substance Use Disorder (SUD) was evaluated by using the Spanish version of the CAGE questionnaire adapted to include drugs (CAGE-AID) with a cut-off point of ≥ 2 25 , 26 . Any of the above probable mental disorders was considered “disabling” if the participant reported severe role impairment (score ≥ 7) during the past 12 months according to an adapted version of the Sheehan Disability Scale 27 , 28 , 29 . Lifetime mental disorders, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, were assessed by using a checklist based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) that screens for self-reported lifetime depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, alcohol and drug use disorders, and “other” mental disorders. More information from the survey instrument is provided elsewhere 15 . A modified self‐report version of selected items from the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C‐SSRS) was applied to assess suicidial thoughts and behaviors in the past 30 days 30 , including passive suicidal ideation (“wish you were dead or would go to sleep and never wake up”), active suicidal ideation (“have thoughts of killing yourself”), suicide plans (“think about how you might kill yourself [e.g., taking pills, shooting yourself] or work out a plan of how to kill yourself”), and suicide attempt (“make a suicide attempt [i.e., purposefully hurt yourself with at least some intent to die”).

Statistical analysis

Demographic, clinical, and survey characteristics of HCWs are expressed with the mean and standard deviation (SD), or with absolute and relative frequencies, when appropriate. Post-stratification weights were applied with raking procedure to restore distributions the elegible personnel within the hospital according to age, gender and professional category. Statistical significance was assessed with pooled Chi-square test from multiple imputations after adjustment for multiple comparisons with Benjamin-Hochberg (false discovery rate 0.05). Missing item-level data among respondents were imputed using multiple imputation by chained equations with 12 imputed datasets and 10 iterations per imputation 31 .

Ethical approval and informed consent

The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and the Code of Ethics and was approved by the IRB Parc de Salut Mar (2020/9203/I) and by the corresponding IRBs of all the participating centres. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04556565 ). The database was anonymized to preserve sensitive data from patients. Participants signed the written informed consent.

Participants

Of the 7797 eligible professionals, 870 HCWs participated and completed the survey (Sociodemographics are shown in Table 1 ). The response rate, calculated as the number of participants that completed it divided by the estimated eligible workers, was 11.8%. Survey participation (workers that agreed to participate divided by those who responded to the informed consent) and completion rates (participants that completed the survey divided by those who agreed to participate) were 88.5% and 78.9%, respectively. HCWs of the sample were predominantly females (78.1%), with a mean age of 43.7 (SD: 11.4), and working mainly as nurses (28.1%), physicians (18.3%), and auxiliary nurses (18.3%). Half of them (52.3%) were frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them were not infected (77.1%) at the time of the study. The most frequent previous lifetime mental disorder was anxiety (41.7% of them), followed by mood disorder (12.8%).

Probable mental disorders

The most frequent probable mental disorders identified in HCWs were MDD (33.6% of them), GAD (25.5%), panic attacks (26.9%), PTSD (27.2%), and SUD (5.0%) (Fig.  1 ). In total, 51.2% of the HCWs had a probable current mental disorder, and 16.3% presented a disabling mental disorder. The prevalence of any suicidal thought and behavior (STB) was 7.9% (Fig.  1 ).

Prevalence of probable mental disorders and STBs among healthcare workers from the University Hospital 12 de Octubre (Madrid, Spain).

Table 2 shows the prevalence of all mental disorders and STBs according to sociodemographic variables and by proximal and distal risk factors. Significant differences (higher prevalence) of mental disorders were found regarding gender (females, for current MDD, GAD, panic attacks, PTSD, and any mental and any disabling mental disorder); age (18–29 years, for current MDD, GAD, panic attacks, PTSD, any mental disorder, and any STB); job position (auxiliary nurse, for current MDD, GAD, panic attacks, PTSD, and any previous mental and disabling mental disorder); direct exposure to infected patients (for current MDD, GAD, panic attacks, PTSD, and any mental disorder); and lifetime disorders (mood, anxiety, other mental disorder) (Table 2 ).

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a worldwide public health emergency, causing significant psychological challenges in the global healthcare system, particularly during the initial stages of the outbreak 32 . The results obtained from the present study show a high prevalence of current probable mental disorders and suicidal ideation in a large sample of HCWs from Hospital 12 de Octubre (Spain) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Symptoms of MDD were the most frequently reported, followed by GAD, panic attacks, and PTSD. Furthermore, we observed that HCWs with lifetime mental disorders had a notably higher occurrence of adverse mental health. Other specific variables such as gender, age, job position, and direct exposure to infected patients were found to pose a greater risk in the onset of mental disorders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs have been confronted with an unprecedented situation that has taken a toll on their mental and physical health 33 . Their essential duties required them to make difficult decisions under extreme pressure, thereby placing them at a higher risk of developing mental health disorders 34 , 35 . Previous studies evidencing the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the mental health of HCWs are in agreement with the findings presented herein 15 , 16 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 . A survey carried out in May 2020 by the British Medical Association showed that 45% of UK physicians were experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, or other mental issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic 36 . In Spain, another survey performed during the first COVID-19 wave (between May 2020 and September 2020), reported that 43.7% of the 2929 primary care professionals (95% confidence interval [CI] = 41.9–45.4) screened positive for a probable mental disorder 37 . In general, published studies evaluating the psychological toll on HCWs report symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, or distress 38 . The prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety ranges from 8.9 to 50.4% and between 14.5 and 44.6%, respectively. A systematic review and meta-analysis, involving data from 70 studies and 101,017 HCWs, have revealed a pooled prevalence of 30.0% for anxiety, 31.1% for depression and depressive symptoms, 56.5% for acute stress, 20.2% for post-traumatic stress, 44.0% for sleep disorders 39 . Another systematic review and meta-analysis, including 12 studies related to the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on HCWs in Asian countries, reported an overall prevalence rate of anxiety, depression, and stress of 34.8%, 32.4% and 54.1%, respectively 40 .

In Spain, MINDCOVID studies were multicenter observational trials that aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the mental well-being of HCWs during the first wave 15 , 16 . In line with our findings, almost half of the surveyed workers (45.7%) presented any current mental disorder and 14.5% tested positive for a disabling mental disorder 15 . The most frequent probable mental disorders reported were current MDD (28.1%), GAD (22.5%), panic attacks (24.0%), PTSD (22.2%), SUD (6.2%), and any STB (8.4%). Other prevalence rates reported were passive ideation (4.9%), active ideation without plan or attempt (0.8%), and active ideation with plan or attempt (2.7%) 15 , 16 . When comparing our present results (unicenter) with those from the multicenter, nationwide MINDCOVID study 15 , prevalence rates of any probable mental disorder, MDD and PTSD are higher (Supplementary Fig.  1 ). The observed differences may respond to the different casuistry of Spanish hospitals during the first wave. Indeed, the pandemic carried out potentially traumatic moral and ethical challenges (e.g., choosing whom to indicate a ventilator in a situation where there was not for everyone) that exposed HCWs to the risk of developing moral injury 41 , 42 . Although moral injury is not considered a mental disorder yet, it is thought to be associated with PTSD by symptomatology and etiology, since both could be two different responses to trauma 41 , 42 . Thus, the higher prevalence of this PTSD could be attributed to the exposure of HCWs to these moral stressors 41 , 42 .

Regarding potential factors associated with probable mental disorders, our study pointed out a higher vulnerability of young individuals (aged between 18 and 29 years), female gender, and those with lifetime mental disorders ( p  < 0.05). Sociodemographic factors, such as gender and age have been previously related to a higher risk 38 . Female sex has been associated with a increased risk of mental disorders in several studies analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of HCWs 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 . A recent meta-analysis conducted by Lee and colleagues including 401 studies, has reported higher odds of probable mental health disorders in women, in particular depression, anxiety, PTSD and insomnia 48 . Multiple explanations or mechanisms have been proposed to explain these differences, including potential response bias (e.g., males may experience greater difficulty in recognizing and expressing psychological distress) as well as various biological, social, and demographic factors 49 , 50 . Therefore, although age and gender appear to be risk factors, this should be considered with caution. Moreover, the existence of a previous mental disorder has been identified as a predictor of other mental issues, such as depression and anxiety, during COVID-19 51 . Also, some studies have indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic could have a negative impact on current mental disorders 52 . Given that all HCWs were exposed to a high risk of developing or aggravating psychiatric symptoms, those with prior or current mental disorders would have been more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The limited availability of personal protective equipment, the continuous exposure to infected patients, the rate of deaths, the absence of specific treatments, overwhelming workload are other factors contributing to the development of these mental issues 53 . Additionally, HCWs' rising anxiety about the spread of COVID-19 may be linked to the misinformation that circulated during the initial wave of the pandemic and the concern that they may be a possible risk of contagion to their partner and family 43 , 54 . Furthermore, herein it was observed that some job positions, specifically auxiliary nurses, have a higher risk of mental disorders ( p  < 0.05). Maunder et al. 55 studied the trend of burnout and psychological distress among HCWs from the fall of 2020 to the summer of 2021 and also found that nurses mostly reported the highest rates of burnout. Similarly, Fattori et al. 56 observed that nurses and health assistants had higher risks of scoring above cut-offs than physicians (OR = 4.72 and 6.76 respectively). Differences between public and private healthcare sectors has been also analyze previously. According to a recent study by Pabón-Carrasco, HCWs employed in publicly healthcare institutions reported a lower perceived risk of COVID-19 transmission compared to their counterparts in private institutions during the first wave 43 . However, anxiety levels were higher in public employed HCWs compared to those reported by those privately employed (more than 25% and ~ 20%, respectively). Both groups had high levels of anxiety, despite private sector was not considered first-line 43 .

Some limitations of our study should be considered. First, its cross-sectional design, without similar information collected before the pandemic, does not allow us to infer the causality of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of HCWs, nor to estimate the true magnitude of change in the prevalence of probable mental disorders. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that during the first wave of the pandemic, psychological support was offered on demand to those professionals who requested it voluntarily at the hospital. Additionally, group interventions were conducted to alleviate symptoms at the onset. It would have been interesting to assess the impact of these interventions as a protective factor; however, we lack this data, which constitutes an additional limitation and possible bias.

Second, the response rate was lower than expected. It is possible that those experiencing mental health issues were more willing to participate or stressed workers did not have time to respond. However, weighting data has attempted to counteract this limitation. Third, this study’s assessments are based on self-reports from HCWs and not clinically diagnosed mental disorders. It is for this reason that we describe them as probable mental disorders.

Importantly, our approach has been used in most epidemiological studies, allowing for comparisons of results 21 , 23 , 57 . A more detailed analysis of proximal factors would have been interesting for linking the probable mental disorders with pandemic-related stressors.

Despite the above-mentioned limitations, we are confident to conclude that, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs of this large Spanish university hospital have presented a high prevalence of probable mental disorders, especially depression, PTSD, panic attack and anxiety. Younger individuals and those with lifetime mental disorders have been more vulnerable to experiencing them.

Based on our results, it appears to be expected that there is a significant demand for mental healthcare services among healthcare professionals in this Hospital that needs to be addressed. Our results, like others, highlight the significance of closely monitoring the psychological well-being of HCWs and facilitating their access to psychological assistance.

Understanding this data can also be relevant when selecting profiles of professionals who should be especially protected in high-stress situations, in order to care for their emotional well-being, such as those workers with a history of mental health issues or other vulnerability factors.

Future studies are needed to determine the evolution of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic over time in HCWs to implement appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Data availability

The de‐identified participant data as well as the study protocol and statistical analysis plan used for this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author as long as the main objective of the data sharing request is replicating the analysis and findings as reported in this paper.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to sincerely thank all healthcareworkers that participated in the study in extremely busytimes, and MINDCOVID working group for supporting this reseach.

The study has received funding by Instituto de Salud Carlos III/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/FEDER (Jordi Alonso, Grant number COV20/00711); ISCIII-FEDER (Jordi Alonso, Grant number PI17/00521); ISCIII-FSE, Sara Borrell and Miguel Servet (Philippe Mortier, Grant number CD18/00049 and CP21/00078), Generalitat de Catalunya (AGAUR 2021 SGR 00624).

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Contributors J.D.M., J.A., F.F.A., G.V. and P.M. reviewed the literature. J.A., G.V., P.M., conceived and designed the study. J.D.M., C.M.R., I.R.H., A.J.G., C.C.R. acquired the data. G.V., F.F.A. and P.M. cleaned and analyzed the data. J.D.M., J.A., F.F.A. and G.R. drafted the initial version of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the initial draft and made critical contribution to the interpretation of the data and approved the manuscript. The corresponding author attest that all listed authors meet authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.

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Molina, J.D., Amigo, F., Vilagut, G. et al. Impact of COVID-19 first wave on the mental health of healthcare workers in a Front-Line Spanish Tertiary Hospital: lessons learned. Sci Rep 14 , 8149 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58884-0

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-58884-0

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