The Relationship of Cognitive Flexibility and Self-compassion With Depression and Anxiety Among Healthcare Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has considerably affected various aspects of our lives and different groups of society. In this regard, healthcare staff is more affected by the pressure of heavy workloads and daily exposure to suspected COVID-19 cases. This study aimed to investigate depression and anxiety as two basic factors of mental health among healthcare workers and the role of self-compassion and cognitive flexibility during the pandemic. 

A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted. Healthcare workers were the target group, and the samples were collected through the online groups from healthcare staff of coronavirus hospitalized centers in Tehran. A convenience sampling method was used in this study. The general anxiety disorder-7 scale, patient health questionnaire, cognitive flexibility inventory, and self-compassion short-form scale were used online for data collection. Totally 551 respondents were entered into the analysis process of the current study. 

A total of 437 respondents (79.3%) had mild to severe anxiety symptoms, and 447(81.1%) had mild to severe depressive symptoms. Cognitive flexibility had a significant negative relationship with anxiety and depression (r=-0.40, r=-0.37, respectively, P<0.001). Similarly, the relationship between self-compassion and anxiety and depression was significantly negative (r=-0.48, r=-0. 47, respectively, P<0.001).

This study demonstrates the positive effects of cognitive flexibility and self-compassion on healthcare staff during COVID-19.