| Summary: | Objective To investigate mental health status of first-line healthcare workers in designated hospitals for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan. Methods We conducted an online survey of mental health status among 251 first-line medical staff treating COVID-19 patients in 3 designated hospitals in Wuhan during the period from February 4 to 14, 2020 using Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Perceptual Stress Scale (PSS) and Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS). Results The surveyed first-line healthcare workers had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression than the national norms (P < 0.01), and among them 62 (24.70%) individuals had anxiety, 83 (33.07%) had depressive emotions, and 56 (22.31%) had both. Nurses or female staff scored significantly higher than clinicians or male staff for anxiety, depression and sensory stress (P < 0.05). The individuals who were confident of winning the fight against the pandemic and satisfied with the support they were provided with had significantly lower scores for anxiety, depression, and perceived stress (P < 0.01). The scores for anxiety, depression, and perceptual stress showed significant negative correlations with cognitive reassessment, suppressed expressions, and time spent in front-line work among the staff members (P < 0.05); cognitive reassessment played an intermediary role between perceived stress and anxiety and depression. Conclusion During the fight against COVID-19, the first-line healthcare workers experience obvious anxiety and depression, and cognitive adjustment plays a key role in reducing the levels of stress and negative emotions.
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