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TOPLINE:
Healthcare workers reported being diagnosed with anxiety and depression more often than workers in other fields and were less likely to receive treatment for these conditions.
METHODOLOGY:
- Researchers conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis comparing the prevalence and treatment of self-reported anxiety and depression between healthcare and non-healthcare workers.
- They analyzed data from 76,800 US adults aged 18-64 years who completed a survey between 2021 and 2024; 59% were aged 18-44 years, and 50.4% were women.
- More than 7500 adults were identified as healthcare workers based on their responses. Among them, 2370 were classified as practitioners who diagnose conditions.
- The primary outcome was self-reported anxiety or depression.
TAKEAWAY:
- Healthcare workers reported being diagnosed more often with anxiety (23.3% vs 19.1%) and depression (22.3% vs 18.9%) than workers in other industries (P < .001 for both).
- Among adults with a diagnosis, healthcare workers more often reported untreated anxiety and untreated depression than non-healthcare workers, with adjusted odds 28% and 25% higher, respectively (P < .05).
- The prevalence of self-reported anxiety and depression among healthcare workers increased from 2021 to 2024 (both P < .001), whereas that of untreated anxiety and untreated depression did not change.
- Male healthcare workers were less likely than female peers to report either condition.
IN PRACTICE:
“Healthcare professional associations and organizations should consider stronger support for advocacy and awareness initiatives aiming to address structural barriers and stigma to seeking mental health support among healthcare workers,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by John C. Lin of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. It was published online on May 11 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
LIMITATIONS:
The study relied on self‑reported and cross‑sectional data.
DISCLOSURES:
The study did not receive any funding. The authors declared having no competing interests.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
