Perceived stress and coping strategies among junior doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital, West Bengal

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) pandemic has put frontline health-care workers into unprecedented amounts of difficulty and psychological stress. Methods: In this cross-sectional, analytical study 122 junior doctors (interns, house staffs and postgraduate trainee) of a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal were studied during the period November 2021-January 2022. Data were collected using an online structured questionnaire, prepared as Google Forms and shared by WhatsApp. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used for the study. Information regarding various coping strategies adopted in the past 1 month was also collected. Results: High prevalence (83.7) of moderate-to-high stress was observed among junior doctors (mean PSS score 21±6.9). Multivariable analysis showed female gender, single (unmarried) status and separation from family during COVID duty assignment were significantly at risk of moderate-to-high stress. The coping behaviours commonly used by the study participants were physical exercise, sharing feelings, talk therapy, meditation, hoping for the best, faith in God/religion, watching movies etc., with many struggling to cope. Conclusions: High prevalence of moderate-to-high stress and difficulty in coping were observed among the junior doctors. Its the need of the hour to plan support programmes dedicated to junior doctors emphasizing coping strategies and stress management. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemics, psychological, stress