Work

Impact of a Medical–Government Conflict on Healthcare Workers’ Mental Health in a Single Tertiary Hospital

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background/Objectives: A medical–government conflict in South Korea in 2024 led to the collective resignation of resident physicians, causing severe workforce shortages in tertiary hospitals. This study aimed to investigate temporal changes in stress, anxiety, and depression among healthcare workers during this conflict following the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 56,137 adults who completed validated questionnaires on stress (KNHANES), anxiety (Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale, CUXOS), and depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D) between January 2019 and February 2025 at Samsung Changwon Hospital. Temporal trends were assessed using linear mixed-effects models adjusted for demographic variables. Results: Among attending physicians, stress increased by 1.44 points in the post-COVID period (p < 0.001) and 1.17 points during the conflict (p = 0.006), while anxiety increased by 1.25 (p = 0.012) and 1.36 points (p = 0.013), respectively. The most vulnerable subgroups were women, those aged 30–40 years, and physicians with <5 years of service. Depression increased significantly among physicians in their 40s during the post-COVID period (p = 0.018). Nurses demonstrated a significant reduction in stress during the conflict (−0.91, p = 0.002), possibly reflecting a temporary decrease in direct clinical workload, whereas office workers showed continuous increases in depression (+1.66 post-COVID, p = 0.003; +1.74 conflict, p = 0.001). Conclusions: The psychological effects of systemic crises differed by occupation. Attending physicians, who bore the greatest clinical and organizational burden, experienced persistent psychological strain during the medical–government conflict following post-pandemic stress. Tailored, occupation-specific strategies are required to protect healthcare workers’ mental health during future systemic disruptions.

Source: Journal of Clinical Medicine

DOI: 10.3390/jcm14238580

Author: Yechan Kyung

Institutions: Samsung Changwon Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University

Language: English

Topic: Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137