Nearly 1 in 5 physicians experienced post-traumatic stress disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic — more than three times higher than the general population, a recent study found.
The study, published July 24 in JAMA Network Open, analyzed 57 studies involving more than 28,900 physicians in 25 countries. All of the studies were published between December 2019 and November 2022 and found on Medline, Embrace and PsycINFO.
The analysis found 18.3% of physicians experienced PTSD, and female physicians were almost twice as likely as their male counterparts to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical trainees were also more likely to develop PTSD compared to attendings.
Symptoms were most common among family medicine physicians, at 31.2%, and emergency medicine physicians at 23.4%.
The prevalence of PTSD could have been due to the number of hospitalizations and deaths seen during the pandemic. That, combined with longer hours and less time off, and that physicians were at high risk of contracting the infection, may have contributed to the higher risk for PTSD, researchers said.