Table 3.
Pearson correlations between continuous variables assessed among a sample of health care workers (N = 102) responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2020 a
| Factor | MERS stress b | MERS emotions c |
Change in AUDIT–C score d | AUDIT–C score pre–COVID-19 d | AUDIT–C score current d | PHQ-9 score e | PC-PTSD score f | Social support coping g | Avoidant coping g | Self-sufficient coping g | Years of experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MERS Stress | 0.57 (<.001) | 0.30 (.006) | −0.10 (.37) | 0.08 (.48) | 0.22 (.045) | 0.46 (<.001) | 0.20 (.07) | 0.44 (<.001) | 0.17 (.12) | −0.19 (.08) | |
| MERS Emotions | — | 0.41 (<.001) | 0.05 (.64) | 0.28 (.01) | 0.28 (.01) | 0.36 (<.001) | 0.14 (.22) | 0.39 (<.001) | 0.22 (.05) | −0.13 (.22) | |
| ΔAUDIT–C | — | — | 0.14 (.22) | 0.65 (<.001) | 0.47 (<.001) | 0.22 (.05) | −0.03 (.78) | 0.45 (<.001) | 0.23 (.045) | −0.13 (.24) | |
| AUDIT–C pre–COVID-19 | — | — | — | 0.84 (<.001) | 0.07 (.51) | 0.12 (.28) | 0.07 (.54) | 0.27 (.01) | 0.03 (.80) | −0.18 (.10) | |
| AUDIT–C current | — | — | — | — | 0.32 (.004) | 0.21 (.06) | 0.04 (.75) | 0.46 (<.001) | 0.15 (.19) | −0.24 (.03) | |
| PHQ-9 score | — | — | — | — | — | 0.54 (<.001) | −0.02 (.85) | 0.60 (<.001) | 0.15 (.20) | −0.25 (.02) | |
| PC-PTSD score | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.11 (.33) | 0.53 (<.001) | 0.21 (.07) | −0.33 (.003) | |
| Social support coping | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.08 (.51) | 0.29 (.01) | −0.23 (.04) | |
| Avoidant coping | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.18 (.11) | −0.28 (.01) | |
| Self-sufficient coping | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | −0.05 (.68) | |
| Years of experience | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Abbreviations: AUDIT–C, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption; MERS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome; PC-PTSD, Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire–9.
Based on a survey administered to health care workers during June 8-22, 2020. The first value in each cell indicates the strength of correlation. Higher values (absolute value closer to 1) indicate a stronger relationship, and lower values (absolute value closer to 0) indicate a weaker (nonsignificant) relationship. All data were tested using the Pearson correlation test, with P < .05 considered significant. P values are indicated in parentheses.
MERS Stress is the stress subscale of the MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) Staff Questionnaire. The MERS-CoV Staff Questionnaire was developed and used to measure health care workers’ responses to increased work-related stress during the 2014 MERS-CoV outbreak. 6
MERS Emotions, a subscale of the MERS-CoV Staff Questionnaire, 6 measures health care workers’ emotional response to the pandemic.
AUDIT–C is a 3-item measure for alcohol consumption derived from the AUDIT tool, originally developed by the World Health Organization. 27 Scores for the AUDIT–C range from 0 to 12, with scores >3 considered positive in women and scores >4 considered positive in men. 28
The PHQ-9 assesses depression criteria; scores ≥10 indicate clinically significant symptoms of depression (score range, 0-27). 25
The PC-PTSD Checklist is a screening tool for posttraumatic stress. Scores ≥3 indicate clinically significant symptoms of PTSD (range, 0-5).