The Impact of COVID-19 Fear on Mental Health of Community Behavioral Health Providers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities worldwide. Behavioral health providers are at the forefront providing services and are thus vulnerable to psychological sequalae. This study hypothesizes that the fear of COVID-19 predicts depression and anxiety among these providers. A questionnaire was delivered to community behavioral health providers to assess fear of COVID-19 using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Anxiety and depression were assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the relationship between explanatory variables and outcomes was assessed using univariate generalized linear models and 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). FCV-19S scores were significantly higher among persons who smoked ( The study indicated that 50% of the behavioral health providers screened had poor mental health owing to multiple factors identified. Hence, it is essential to strengthen their support to better mitigate situations contributing to fear.