scholarly journals Emotional Labor and Depressive Symptoms Among Healthcare Workers: The Role of Sleep

2021 ◽  
pp. 216507992110147
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Mazen ElGhaziri ◽  
Sundus Siddique ◽  
Rebecca Gore ◽  
Alicia Kurowski ◽  
...  

Background: Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Health care workers report a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than the general population. Emotional labor has contributed to poor health and work outcomes. However, the mechanism for the potential association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms has not been well studied. This study examines the relationship between emotional labor and depressive symptoms and whether sleep plays a role in explaining this relationship. Methods: In 2018, health care workers ( n = 1,060) from five public sector facilities in the northeast United States participated in this cross-sectional survey. The survey included questions on participants’ surface-acting emotional labor (masking one’s feelings at work), depressive symptoms, sleep duration and disturbances, and socio-demographic characteristics. Multivariable linear and Poisson regression modeling were used to examine associations among variables. Findings: There was a significant association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms (β = 0.82, p < .001). Sleep disturbances, but not short sleep duration, partially mediated this association. Neither sleep variable moderated this association. Conclusions/Application to Practice: Depressive symptoms were prevalent among health care workers and were associated with emotional masking. Sleep disturbances play an important intermediate role in translating emotional labor to depressive symptoms in these workers. Effective workplace programs are needed to reduce health care workers’ emotional labor to improve their mental health. Sleep promotion should also be emphasized to mitigate the negative effect of emotional labor and promote mental wellbeing.

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A292-A293
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Mazen ElGhaziri ◽  
Sundus Siddique ◽  
Rebecca Gore ◽  
Alicia Kurowski ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Healthcare workers report a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than the general population. Emotional labor has contributed to poor health and work outcomes. However, the mechanism for the potential association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms has not been well studied. Methods In 2018, healthcare workers (n=1,060) from five public sector facilities in the northeast U.S. participated in this cross-sectional survey. The survey included questions on participants’ surface-acting emotional labor (masking one’s feelings at work), depressive symptoms, sleep duration and disturbances, and socio-demographics. Results Nearly a quarter (21.7%) of the participants reported depressive symptoms, over a half (53.6%) reported short sleep duration (≤6 hours per day), and nearly one third (32.2%) reported sleep disturbances. There was a significant association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms (β=0.82, p&lt;0.001) among these workers. Sleep disturbances, not short sleep duration, partially mediated this association by 17%. Both sleep disturbances and short sleep duration did not modify this association. Conclusion Depressive symptoms were prevalent among healthcare workers and were associated with emotional masking. Sleep disturbances play an important intermediate role in translating emotional labor to depressive symptoms in these workers. Effective workplace programs are needed to reduce healthcare workers’ emotional labor in order to improve their mental health. Sleep promotion should be emphasized to mitigate the negative effect of emotional labor and promote healthcare workers’ mental wellbeing. Support (if any) The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace is supported by Grant Number 1 U19 OH008857 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC). This work is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH. We are grateful to the CPH-NEW Research Team working together to collect the questionnaire data.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bente S. M. Haugland ◽  
Mari Hysing ◽  
Valborg Baste ◽  
Gro Janne Wergeland ◽  
Ronald M. Rapee ◽  
...  

There is limited knowledge about sleep in adolescents with elevated levels of anxiety treated within primary health care settings, potentially resulting in sleep problems not being sufficiently addressed by primary health care workers. In the current study self-reported anxiety, insomnia, sleep onset latency, sleep duration, and depressive symptoms were assessed in 313 adolescents (12–16 years; mean age 14.0, SD = 0.84, 84.0% girls) referred to treatment for anxiety within primary health care. Results showed that 38.1% of the adolescents met criteria for insomnia, 34.8% reported short sleep duration (&lt;7 h), and 83.1% reported long sleep onset latency (≥30 min). Total anxiety symptoms were related to all sleep variables after controlling for age and sex. Furthermore, all anxiety symptom sub-types were associated with insomnia and sleep onset latency, whereas most anxiety subtypes were associated with sleep duration. Adolescents’ depressive symptoms accounted for most of the anxiety-sleep associations, emphasizing the importance of depressive symptoms for sleep. However, anxiety was associated with insomnia and sleep onset latency also among youth with low levels of depressive symptoms. The findings suggests that primary health care workers should assess sleep duration, sleep onset latency, and insomnia in help-seeking adolescents with anxiety.


Author(s):  
Hasan S. Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.


Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 535
Author(s):  
Mariangela Valentina Puci ◽  
Guido Nosari ◽  
Federica Loi ◽  
Giulia Virginia Puci ◽  
Cristina Montomoli ◽  
...  

The ongoing pandemic scenario, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has had a considerable impact on public health all over the world. Italy was one of the most affected countries, as the first European full-blown outbreak occurred there. The exposure of the Italian health care workers to COVID-19 may be an important risk factor for psychological distress. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to describe worries and risk perception of being infected among Italian Health Care Workers (HCWs) during the first wave of the pandemic. In total, 2078 HCWs participated in a web survey (78.8% were females). The highest percentage of respondents were physicians (40.75%) and nurses (32.15%), followed by medical (18.00%), health care support (4.50%) and administrative (4.60%) staff. In a score range between 0 (not worried) and 4 (very worried), our results showed that participants declared that they were worried about the Coronavirus infection with a median score of 3 (IQR 2-3) and for 59.19% the risk perception of being infected was very high. In addition, HCWs reported they suffered from sleep disturbances (63.43%). From the analysis of the psychological aspect, a possible divergence emerged between the perceived need for psychological support (83.85%) and the relative lack of this service among health care providers emerged (9.38%). Our findings highlight the importance of psychological and psychiatric support services not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in other emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) scenarios. These services may be useful for health authorities and policymakers to ensure the psychological well-being of health care professionals and to promote precautionary behaviors among them.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 560-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirna Fawaz ◽  
Ali Samaha

Background: Since the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), health care professionals in Lebanon have been diligently serving as the frontline of defense. In the light of challenging economic and political circumstances, putting their community wellbeing as a priority, and abiding by quarantine and strict infection control measures, health care professionals risk both their physical and mental wellbeing. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the psychosocial effects of being quarantined following exposure to COVID-19 among Lebanese health care professionals. Method: An exploratory qualitative research design was employed, where semi-structured interviews were carried out involving a sample of 13 Lebanese health care providers working at various COVID-19 units. Results: The qualitative analysis has revealed four themes namely ‘Fears of contracting and spreading the virus’, ‘Conflict between professional duty and family obligation’, ‘Stigma of being infected’, and ‘Inadequate or inaccurate information’. Conclusion: COVID-19 quarantine has been posing intense psychological challenges among Lebanese health care workers which are worsened at times by the economic instability; thus, health care policymakers are urged to take proper action nationwide to alleviate longlisting implications and support the health care providers in fulfilling their mission.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Afe Taiwo Opekitan ◽  
Fetuga Bolanle ◽  
Ogunsemi Olawale ◽  
Adeleye Olufunke

There is a significant dearth of information on available social infrastructures for helping victims of child abuse among all cadres of primary health-care workers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness of social and legal structures among primary health-care workers, which can help in reducing incidences and taking action. The survey was a cross-sectional survey of 20 primary health-care centers and 86 health workers in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria. The result showed a low level of awareness among health workers. A large percentage of health workers were unaware of any social infrastructure or hospital protocol for child abuse reporting: 68.4% of medical officers, 54.5% of nurses, and 66.7% of other health workers. There is a need for deliberate training among health workers on social infrastructure, which can help victims of child abuse.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document