The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Iranian Psychiatric Trainees’ and Early Career Psychiatrists’ Well-being, Work Conditions, and Education

Objectives This study was conducted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists in Iran. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, the authors used a 24-item questionnaire inquiring about the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, their views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their professional careers, methods of education, workplace environment, well-being and mental health, and the use of telepsychiatry in Iran. Results A total of 159 responses were received. The majority ( n =124, 78.0%) reported that “some but not all obligatory activities have been converted to online activities.” Most of the participants ( n =103, 64.8%) stated that the pandemic had not affected the duration of their training. Less than half ( n =61, 38.4%) reported that their well-being had been affected rather negatively. Some ( n =59, 37.1%) reported that their supervisors or coworkers had no significant impact on their well-being, whereas others ( n =53, 33.3%) reported a rather positive impact. Almost half of the participants ( n =78, 49.0%) did not have access to free psychological counseling. In addition, more than half ( n =89, 56.0%) reported that there were no recommendations on how to proceed with telepsychiatry. Conclusions This study calls for improvements in the education and well-being of psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists in Iran amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research should be carried out to maximize learning, provide mental health care, and use telepsychiatry.