Quality of life and mental health in Russian general population and burnout among physicians during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic can lead to serious impairments of quality of life (QoL) and mental health in the population as a whole and in different vulnerable groups, such as physicians who providing routine medical care during pandemic. Comprehensive evaluation of QoL and exploring the factors contributing to detriment of QoL and mental health in general population during the pandemic along with investigation of burnout syndrome in physicians is worthwhile. We aimed to study QoL and psychological problems in Russian general population and to evaluate QoL and professional burnout in physicians involved in medical care of patients with chronic diseases during COViD-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2021 in the middle and late stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. In total 695 citizens from 22 cities, 171 physicians from 26 cities of Russia were enrolled in the on-line survey. In summary, we found that deterioration in QoL and prevalence of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia among general population was quite high. The present study identified that nearly half of physicians providing routine medical care during pandemic experienced burnout. The results indicated factors which could contribute to increasing anxiety and depression among general public and to burnout among physicians - they can be used to screen for the individuals who need intervention for psychological health problems during pandemics. Further research is needed in the post-pandemic period to examine pandemic-related stressors, secondary damages, psychosocial consequences, and indicators of vulnerability in order to provide reference for developing strategies to deal with future pandemics.