Psychological distress mediates the association between COVID-19-related discrimination and subsequent PTSD symptom severity in healthcare workers: a two-year follow-up study

Background Past research has suggested a cross-sectional association between COVID-19-related discrimination and PTSD symptom severity. However, no cohort study has examined the longitudinal association that allows causal interpretation. Also, even if such an association genuinely exists, the mechanism remains unclear. Methods We conducted a two-year follow-up study, obtaining data from healthcare workers in a hospital setting. We first evaluated how COVID-19-related discrimination in 2021 was associated with subsequent PTSD symptom severity in 2023. Thereafter, we conducted causal mediation analysis to examine how this association was mediated by psychological distress in 2022, accounting for exposure-mediator interaction. Missing data were handled using random forest imputation. Results A total of 660 hospital staff were included. The fully adjusted model showed greater PTSD symptom severity in individuals who experienced any COVID-19-related discrimination compared with those without such experiences ( β , 0.44; 95% CI, 0.04–0.90). Regarding each type of discrimination, perceived discrimination was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity ( β , 0.52; 95% CI, 0.08–0.96), whereas verbal discrimination did not reach statistical significance. Psychological distress consistently mediated 28.1–38.8% of the observed associations. Conclusions COVID-19-related discrimination is associated with subsequent PTSD symptom severity in healthcare workers. Psychological distress may serve as an important mediator, underscoring the potential need for interventions targeting this factor.