A study on family function status and its influencing factors of frontline health workers fighting Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Objective: To understand the family function, psychological status, and influencing factors of the family members of the frontline medical staff fighting COVID-19.

Methods: A psychological questionnaire survey was conducted on the families of 189 clinical front line medical staff who participated in the fight against COVID-19 by using the general information questionnaire, the fam- ily care index scale (APGAR), the generalized anxiety scale (GAD-7), and the depression screening scale (PHQ-9), and the influencing factors were analyzed.

Results: The score of family function was 7.00 (5.00, 10.00), 105 individuals (55.6%) had good family function, 72 individuals (38.1%) had moderate family dysfunction, and 12 of them (6.3%) had severe family dysfunction. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, age, educational background, working status during the epidemic, and anxiety level were the influencing factors of the family function status of frontline medical staff (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The family function of the medical staff participating in the clinical frontline fight against COVID-19 is at a medium level. Gender, age, educational background, working status during the epidemic, and anxiety level are the influencing factors of the family function status of this group. The family members of medical personnel have a certain extent of anxiety and depression, so the nursing manager should improve the family function and relieve them of anxiety and depression through psychological counseling and humanistic care, so as to improve their family function.

COVID-19; Medical staff; Family functions; Psychological status

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