Mental Health Challenges of United States Healthcare Professionals During COVID-19

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2020 Sep 9

PMID 32903586

Citations 54

Authors

Ann Pearman

MacKenzie L Hughes

Emily L Smith

Shevaun D Neupert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

As COVID-19 continues to impact global society, healthcare professionals (HCPs) are at risk for a number of negative well-being outcomes due to their role as care providers. The objective of this study was to better understand the current psychological impact of COVID-19 on HCPs in the United States This study used an online survey tool to collect demographic data and measures of well-being of adults age 18 and older living in the United States between March 20, 2020 and May 14, 2020. Measures included anxiety and stress related to COVID-19, depressive symptoms, current general anxiety, health questions, tiredness, control beliefs, proactive coping, and past and future appraisals of COVID-related stress. The sample included 90 HCPs and 90 age-matched controls ( = 34.72 years, = 9.84, range = 23 - 67) from 35 states of the United States. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed, using education as a covariate, to identify group differences in the mental and physical health measures. HCPs reported higher levels of depressive symptoms, past and future appraisal of COVID-related stress, concern about their health, tiredness, current general anxiety, and constraint, in addition to lower levels of proactive coping compared to those who were not HCPs ( < 0.001, η = 0.28). Within the context of this pandemic, HCPs were at increased risk for a number of negative well-being outcomes. Potential targets, such as adaptive coping training, for intervention are discussed.

Citing Articles

Structural Factors Contributing to Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Hospital-Based Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Chatham A, Petruzzi L, Patel S, Brode W, Cook R, Garza B Qual Health Res. 2023; 34(4):362-373.

PMID: 38011747 PMC: 10905984. DOI: 10.1177/10497323231213825.

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic: experience of healthcare workers in Qatar.

Al-Qudimat A, Singh K, Mustafa E, Nashwan A, Al-Zoubi R, Yassin A Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1283925.

PMID: 37927872 PMC: 10620932. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1283925.

A cross-sectional study on coping strategies of frontline healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country.

Akanko I, Abor P, Tetteh C SAGE Open Med. 2023; 11:20503121231197398.

PMID: 37719168 PMC: 10504830. DOI: 10.1177/20503121231197398.

The prevalence of effort-reward imbalance and its associations with working conditions, psychosocial resources and burden among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of the egePan-Voice study.

Beschoner P, Jerg-Bretzke L, Erim Y, Geiser F, Baranowski A, Weidner K PLoS One. 2023; 18(8):e0287509.

PMID: 37590290 PMC: 10434884. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287509.

Structure of the perception of health professionals regarding the quality of health services in the context of COVID-19.

Vega-Dienstmaier J, Fernandez-Arana A, Olortegui-Yzu A Brain Behav. 2023; 13(8):e3140.

PMID: 37400977 PMC: 10454267. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3140.

References

Neupert S, Almeida D, Charles S . Age differences in reactivity to daily stressors: the role of personal control. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2007; 62(4):P216-25. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/62.4.p216. View

De Raedt R, Hooley J . The role of expectancy and proactive control in stress regulation: A neurocognitive framework for regulation expectation. Clin Psychol Rev. 2016; 45:45-55. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2016.03.005. View

Pearlin L, Schooler C . The structure of coping. J Health Soc Behav. 1978; 19(1):2-21. View

. Characteristics of Health Care Personnel with COVID-19 - United States, February 12-April 9, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020; 69(15):477-481. PMC: 7755055. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6915e6. View

Vernon L, Dillon J, Steiner A . Proactive coping, gratitude, and posttraumatic stress disorder in college women. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2008; 22(1):117-27. DOI: 10.1080/10615800802203751. View

Greenberg N, Docherty M, Gnanapragasam S, Wessely S . Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic. BMJ. 2020; 368:m1211. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1211. View

Dyrbye L, West C, Satele D, Boone S, Tan L, Sloan J . Burnout among U.S. medical students, residents, and early career physicians relative to the general U.S. population. Acad Med. 2014; 89(3):443-51. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000134. View

Rajkumar R . COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020; 52:102066. PMC: 7151415. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102066. View

Stauder A, Nistor K, Zakor T, Szabo A, Nistor A, Adam S . Quantifying Multiple Work-Related Psychosocial Risk Factors: Proposal for a Composite Indicator Based on the COPSOQ II. Int J Behav Med. 2017; 24(6):915-926. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-017-9651-6. View

10.

Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N . Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers Exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020; 3(3):e203976. PMC: 7090843. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976. View

11.

Chen Q, Liang M, Li Y, Guo J, Fei D, Wang L . Mental health care for medical staff in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(4):e15-e16. PMC: 7129426. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30078-X. View

12.

Lee A, Wong J, McAlonan G, Cheung V, Cheung C, Sham P . Stress and psychological distress among SARS survivors 1 year after the outbreak. Can J Psychiatry. 2007; 52(4):233-40. DOI: 10.1177/070674370705200405. View

13.

Goulia P, Mantas C, Dimitroula D, Mantis D, Hyphantis T . General hospital staff worries, perceived sufficiency of information and associated psychological distress during the A/H1N1 influenza pandemic. BMC Infect Dis. 2010; 10:322. PMC: 2990753. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-322. View

14.

Godderis L, Boone A, Bakusic J . COVID-19: a new work-related disease threatening healthcare workers. Occup Med (Lond). 2020; 70(5):315-316. PMC: 7197525. DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqaa056. View

15.

Maunder R, Hunter J, Vincent L, Bennett J, Peladeau N, Leszcz M . The immediate psychological and occupational impact of the 2003 SARS outbreak in a teaching hospital. CMAJ. 2003; 168(10):1245-51. PMC: 154178. View

16.

Gold J . Covid-19: adverse mental health outcomes for healthcare workers. BMJ. 2020; 369:m1815. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1815. View

17.

Bokszczanin A . Social support provided by adolescents following a disaster and perceived social support, sense of community at school, and proactive coping. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2011; 25(5):575-92. DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2011.622374. View

18.

Bandura A . Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol Rev. 1977; 84(2):191-215. DOI: 10.1037//0033-295x.84.2.191. View

19.

Liu S, Yang L, Zhang C, Xiang Y, Liu Z, Hu S . Online mental health services in China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Lancet Psychiatry. 2020; 7(4):e17-e18. PMC: 7129099. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30077-8. View

20.

Yates M, Tennstedt S, Chang B . Contributors to and mediators of psychological well-being for informal caregivers. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 1999; 54(1):P12-22. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/54b.1.p12. View