Associations of acute stress disorder and depression with coping self-efficacy and perceived social support in healthcare workers during COVID-19.

Amid public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers often face a heightened risk of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and depression. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated the connection and underlying mechanisms between COVID-19-induced ASD and depression among healthcare workers. This research sought to investigate how COVID-19-induced ASD promotes depressive symptoms among healthcare workers, examining coping self-efficacy as a mediator and perceived social support (PSS) as a moderator. We surveyed 331 Chinese healthcare workers involved in frontline efforts against the COVID-19 outbreak between February and March 2020. Data were analyzed using correlation analysis, followed by mediation and moderation analyses conducted through the PROCESS macro. The findings revealed that COVID-19-induced ASD was positively associated with depression, with coping self-efficacy mediating this association. Moreover, PSS moderated the link between ASD and coping self-efficacy, such that the indirect effect was weaker for those with high PSS. This study offers valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms linking COVID-19-induced ASD and depression and offers practical coping strategies to support healthcare workers' mental health.