Protecting the psychological well‐being of healthcare workers affected by the COVID‐19 outbreak: Perspectives from China

Background: Healthcare workers in the front line of diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are at great risk of both infection and developing mental health symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the following: (1) whether healthcare workers in general hospitals experience higher mental distress than those in psychiatric hospitals; (2) the role played by religion and alexithymic trait in influencing the mental health condition and perceived level of happiness of healthcare workers amidst the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (3) factors that influence the resilience of healthcare workers at 6 weeks' follow-up.Methods: Four-hundred and fifty-eight healthcare workers were recruited from general and psychiatric hospitals, and 419 were followed-up after 6 weeks. All participants filled out the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, five-item Brief-Symptom Rating Scale, and the Chinese Oxford Happiness Questionnaire.Results: Under the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, 12.3% of frontline healthcare workers in general hospitals reported having mental distress and perceived lower social adaptation status compared with those working in psychiatric hospitals. Christians/Catholics perceived better psychological well-being, and Buddhists/Taoists were less likely to experience mental distress. The results at 6 weeks of follow-up showed that the perceived lower social adaptation status of general hospital healthcare workers was temporary and improved with time. Christian/Catholic religion and time had independent positive effects on psychological well-being; however, the interaction of Christian/Catholic religion and time had a negative effect.Conclusions: Collectivism and individualism in the cultural context are discussed with regard to alexithymic trait and Buddhist/Taoist and Christian/Catholic religious faiths. Early identification of mental distress and interventions should be implemented to ensure a healthy and robust clinical workforce for the treatment and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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How Does the Assessment of Work Organization during the COVID-19 Pandemic Relate to Changes in the Well-Being of Health System Workers?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18158202 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 8202

Author(s):

Loreta Kubilienė ◽

Aušra Griciūtė ◽

Vilma Miglinė ◽

Milda Kukulskienė ◽

Aurima Stankūnienė ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organizational Support ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Work Organization ◽

Organizational Factors ◽

Well Being ◽

Research Strategy ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Socio Demographic Factors ◽

Safety And Stability

In the case of various emergencies, especially pandemics, healthcare workers are faced with disproportionate pressures. Organizational support plays a significant role in protecting the psychological and physical health of healthcare workers. This interdisciplinary research aims to determine how changes in the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare and pharmacy workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdown are related to work organization factors that support safety and stability. A quantitative research strategy was applied in the research. Data from an electronic survey assessed the changes in the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare and pharmacy workers during the lockdown period and the organizational factors supporting safety and stability. The sample of the quantitative research consisted of 967 employees of healthcare institutions and pharmacies in Lithuania. This research broadens the concept of organizational factors and provides data on their interaction with the changes of employee well-being indicators in a pandemic situation. It was found that positive changes in the evaluation of physical as well as psychological well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown could be consistently predicted by all the analyzed safety and stability supporting organizational factors that were found to be associated with subjective physical well-being and psychological well-being even when adjusting for the effect of socio-demographic factors (gender, age, work field, and specialty). The identification and proper management of organizational factors was significant for the psychological and physical well-being of healthcare workers during the lockdown period. It was found that all estimates of safety and stability supporting organizational factors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were positively related and could act as protective factors to the subjective physical and psychological well-being of healthcare and pharmacy workers.

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Psychological Well-Being of COVID-19 Medical Staff: Depression, Distress, and Anxiety in Frontline Healthcare Workers

Psychosociological Issues in Human Resource Management ◽

10.22381/pihrm8120206 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 37

Keyword(s):

Medical Staff ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

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High levels of psychosocial distress among Australian frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

General Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/gpsych-2021-100577 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. e100577

Author(s):

Natasha Smallwood ◽

Leila Karimi ◽

Marie Bismark ◽

Mark Putland ◽

Douglas Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Allied Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Health Staff ◽

Mental Health Symptoms ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Health Symptoms ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound and prolonged impact on healthcare services and healthcare workers.AimsThe Australian COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Study aimed to investigate the severity and prevalence of mental health issues, as well as the social, workplace and financial disruptions experienced by Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA nationwide, voluntary, anonymous, single timepoint, online survey was conducted between 27 August and 23 October 2020. Individuals self-identifying as frontline healthcare workers in secondary or primary care were invited to participate. Participants were recruited through health organisations, professional associations or colleges, universities, government contacts and national media. Demographics, home and work situation, health and psychological well-being data were collected.ResultsA total of 9518 survey responses were received; of the 9518 participants, 7846 (82.4%) participants reported complete data. With regard to age, 4110 (52.4%) participants were younger than 40 years; 6344 (80.9%) participants were women. Participants were nurses (n=3088, 39.4%), doctors (n=2436, 31.1%), allied health staff (n=1314, 16.7%) or in other roles (n=523, 6.7%). In addition, 1250 (15.9%) participants worked in primary care. Objectively measured mental health symptoms were common: mild to severe anxiety (n=4694, 59.8%), moderate to severe burnout (n=5458, 70.9%) and mild to severe depression (n=4495, 57.3%). Participants were highly resilient (mean (SD)=3.2 (0.66)). Predictors for worse outcomes on all scales included female gender; younger age; pre-existing psychiatric condition; experiencing relationship problems; nursing, allied health or other roles; frontline area; being worried about being blamed by colleagues and working with patients with COVID-19.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic is associated with significant mental health symptoms in frontline healthcare workers. Crisis preparedness together with policies and practices addressing psychological well-being are needed.

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190 Determinants of Psychological Well-Being in Healthcare Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab134.043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

E T Goh ◽

M Denning ◽

S Purkayastha ◽

J Kinross

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Safety Attitudes ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction The Covid-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems globally, impacting working conditions, safety attitudes and the psychological well-being of healthcare workers. This cross-sectional study explores the prevalence and predictors of anxiety/depression amongst healthcare workers in the UK, Singapore, and Poland. Method From 22 March to 18 June 2020, healthcare workers from the UK, Singapore and Poland were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire on psychological well-being. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Other components of the questionnaire include demographic information, Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) measuring safety culture and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) to measure burnout. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine predictors of anxiety and depression. Results Of 3537 healthcare workers who participated in the study, 701 (20%) screened positive for anxiety and 389 (11%) for depression. Significant predictors of depression and anxiety include low SAQ score, nursing role, redeployment, burnout, and depression. There was significant overlap between anxiety and depression. The doctor role was protective. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate a significant burden of anxiety and depression amongst healthcare workers during Covid-19. These findings highlight the impact of Covid-19 on psychological well-being and suggests which groups would benefit from targeted support.

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Associations Between Resilience, Psychological Well-Being, Work-Related Stress and Covid-19 Fear in Forensic Healthcare Workers Using a Network Analysis

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.678895 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Stefan Bogaerts ◽

Marianne van Woerkom ◽

Yasemin Erbaş ◽

Elien De Caluwé ◽

Carlo Garofalo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Network Analysis ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Workplace Stress ◽

Self Report ◽

Work Related Stress ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Work Related ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Related Stress

Forensic healthcare workers deal with patients with severe psychiatric and behavioral problems that put them at an increased risk of developing work-related stress and burnout. Working with this target group of patients during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic with far-reaching restrictive measures can negatively affect the psychological well-being of forensic workers. Research suggests that resilience can buffer workplace stress and contribute positively to psychological well-being. However, research on resilience, psychological well-being and work-related stress among forensic healthcare workers is still lacking. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the interrelations between psychological well-being and resilience on the one hand and work-related stress and Covid-19 fear-related symptoms on the other hand. Self-report data were obtained from 318 healthcare workers (73.9% women) working in three Forensic Psychiatric Centers (M age = 44.20, SD = 14.31) and are in direct contact with forensic patients. The data were analyzed using network analysis. Consistent with previous research, the results showed that workplace stress and fear associated with the Covid-19 pandemic can be detrimental to workers' psychological well-being, while resilience can serve as a protective factor against being personally attacked or threatened by patients at the workplace. Last but not least, we identified highly central symptoms, namely tremors due to the fear of the coronavirus and anxiety when other people coughing, which would be the best candidates for future treatment targets. This knowledge can help clinicians optimize interventions to reduce workplace stress and fear due to the pandemic. Future studies should aim to replicate our findings in a larger and more representative sample of forensic healthcare workers.

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The Combined Effect of Safety Specific Transformational Leadership and Safety Consciousness on Psychological Well-Being of Healthcare Workers

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.688463 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Irshad ◽

Mehwish Majeed ◽

Sana Aroos Khattak

Keyword(s):

Transformational Leadership ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

The Relationship ◽

Minimal Research

Occupational health researchers have begun to realize that the psychological well-being of healthcare workers who are providing treatment against COVID-19 is deteriorating. However, there is minimal research conducted on it, particularly in the context of leadership. The current study aims to fill this important gap by identifying critical factors that can enhance the psychological well-being of healthcare workers. We proposed that safety specific transformational leadership enhances psychological well-being among healthcare workers, and COVID-19 perceived risk mediates this relationship. Furthermore, the safety conscientiousness of healthcare workers was proposed to be a boundary condition that enhances the negative relationship between safety-specific transformational leadership and COVID-19 perceived risk. Data were collected from healthcare workers (N = 232) treating COVID-19 patients in the hospitals of Pakistan through well-established adopted questionnaires. The discriminant and convergent validity of the data was tested through confirmatory factor analysis by using AMOS statistical package. The mediation and moderation hypotheses were tested by using PROCESS Macro by Hayes. The results showed that safety specific transformational leadership enhances psychological well-being among healthcare workers, and COVID-19 perceived risk mediates this relationship. Moderation results also confirmed that safety conscientiousness moderates the relationship between safety specific transformational leadership and COVID-19 perceived risk. This study offers implications for both researchers and practitioners.

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Psychological Aspects of Media Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from Healthcare and Pharmacy Specialists in Lithuania

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9101297 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1297

Author(s):

Nida Žemaitienė ◽

Milda Kukulskienė ◽

Vilma Miglinė ◽

Loreta Kubilienė ◽

Gabrielė Urbonaitė ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Media Use ◽

Subjective Effects ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Aspects ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Related Information ◽

The Media ◽

Search For Information ◽

Effects Of Media

In the setting of disasters, people seek information as they hope that knowledge will provide security. This makes the media a critical source of crisis exposure. The aim of the study described in this article was to analyze COVID-19 pandemic-related psychological aspects of media use by healthcare and pharmacy workers in Lithuania and to reveal the subjective effects of media consumption on their psychological well-being. 967 healthcare workers and pharmacists in Lithuania completed an electronic survey, which consisted of questions about the changes in well-being experienced since the beginning of the lockdown and media use in the search for information on COVID-19. It was found that communication might have ambiguous effects on psychological well-being. Excessive, unreliable, misleading, contradictory information and “catastrophizing” were subjectively related to impaired psychological well-being. Objective and reliable, relevant, clear, timely, hopeful and supportive information had a subjective positive effect. Seeking COVID-19-related information many times a day was associated with increased fear of becoming infected with COVID-19, feeling unable to control the risk of contracting COVID-19, fear of infecting relatives with COVID-19 and feeling that other people would avoid interaction with healthcare workers and pharmacists because of their job. General browsing was not consistently associated with COVID-19-related fears.

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Self-care strategies in response to nurses’ moral injury during COVID-19 pandemic

Nursing Ethics ◽

10.1177/0969733020961825 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 096973302096182

Author(s):

Fahmida Hossain ◽

Ariel Clatty

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Moral Distress ◽

Well Being ◽

Moral Injury ◽

Time Constraints ◽

Healthcare Staff ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Protective Gear ◽

Nursing Professionals

These are strange and unprecedented times in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most frontline healthcare professionals have never witnessed anything like this before. As a result, staff may experience numerous and continuous traumatic events, which in many instances, will negatively affect their psychological well-being. Particularly, nurses face extraordinary challenges in response to shifting protocols, triage, shortages of resources, and the astonishing numbers of patients who require care in expedited time constraints. As most healthcare workers are passionate nursing professionals, frustration and often a sense of powerlessness occur when they find themselves unable to provide needed care to their patients. The overwhelming number of deaths, patients isolated and dying alone, and the ever-present fear of being infected and then infecting colleagues, family, friends due to the lack of protective gear or known protocols takes its toll on emotional and psychological well-being. For nurses, the experience of this significant (hopefully once-in-a-lifetime) event can inflict on-going moral injury. Nurses affected by this trauma require education, coping tools, and therapy to help avoid or alleviate the adverse effects on their well-being. Institutions must provide these resources to tend to the well-being of their healthcare staff, during and beyond the pandemic. This article aims to investigate moral distress—considering it as a moral injury—and offer tools and recommendations to support healthcare nurses as they respond to this crisis and its aftermath.

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