Introduction:

COVID-2019 is one of the great pandemics that have struck humanity, causing millions of infected people and the deaths of thousands. Ecuador is among the top eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean most affected by the disease, which has led to a collapse in the health system and other harmful consequences, such as affecting the mental health of professionals who care for infected patients.

Objective:

to identify the presence of anxiogenic and depressive behaviors in the health personnel of Ecuador in the face of the health emergency by COVID-2019.

Materials and methods:

a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 400 professionals from various health areas in Ecuador was carried out. A socio-demographic chart and the Hospital Scale of Anxiety and Depression were used. The variables age, sex, specialty and symptoms of anxiety and depression were studied.

Results:

of the total number of professionals studied, 46.40 % had anxiety, and in 34.50 % depressive symptoms were identified. The highest anxiety and depression scores were reported in the nursing staff.

Conclusions:

the descriptive study showed the presence of anxiogenic and depressive behaviors in health workers, especially in the nursing staff, followed by doctors and psychologists. It was shown that health workers are in the group vulnerable to having psychological effects arising from the confrontation with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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