Psychological Stress of COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers: Rational Safety Behaviors, Evidence-based Self-Help Interventions, and Remote Mental Health Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Safety Behaviors ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers

scholarly journals Addressing Mental Health Needs of Health Care Workers through Peer Support Groups During the COVID-19 Crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanner Thornsberry ◽  
Jill Nault Connors ◽  
Julie Welch ◽  
Julie Hayden ◽  
Jennifer Hartwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Psychological Resources ◽  
Psychological Burden ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Frontline Healthcare Workers ◽  
The Impact

Background:  The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a high psychological burden on frontline healthcare workers. Often quarantined away from their families and with little downtime to process their experiences, those on the frontlines of the pandemic are experiencing pronounced levels of distress and significantly elevated rates of burnout. Although many wellness and psychological resources are available to providers, there is low uptake and little is known about their effectiveness. In this study, we assess the impact of group-based peer support sessions on symptoms of acute distress, anxiety and depression, and provider burn out.    Methods:  An established peer support model is adapted for use with groups of frontline healthcare workers that will participate in 6 to 8 weekly group sessions using videoconferences. The study approach is a phased feasibility to research design. During the feasibility phase, we will initially test the intervention in 3 groups of 8 providers using a quasi-experimental, pre- post analysis of change. If preliminary results are positive, we will scale the intervention and progress to a more rigorous study design using a differences-in-differences approach to assess change over time between exposure and non-exposure groups. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, intervention completion, and 3- and 6- month follow ups. During the feasibility phase we will assess intervention fidelity and conduct qualitative analysis to assess the effects of the pandemic on work, family and social life.     Results:  This is a work in progress. At present we have recruited 28 emergency medicine physicians and residents with a target start date of August 1, 2020.    Potential Impact:  We anticipate the results of this study will provide evidence in support of a recent call for “the use of non-clinical mental health support, such as social or peer support” from the American College of Emergency Physicians in conjunction with 42 leading professional organizations in medicine. In addition, results may lead to advocacy for improved policies that mitigate against “fear of resultant loss of licensure, loss of income, or other career setbacks” for seeking mental health support. 

scholarly journals Optimizing The Resilience of Healthcare Workers Against The COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-4
Author(s):  
Muchtar ◽  
Ray Wagiu Basrowi
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Identification Process ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Psychosocial Hazards ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have physical and psychosocial pressure in carrying out their work. The requirement for healthcare workers in dealing with the pandemic is so high, the identification process for the resilience of healthcare workers is not going well. The purpose of this article is to review about how to optimize the resilience of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 outbreak working conditions. Methods: This literature review is conducted in October 2021. Research related to the resilience of healthcare workers during COVID-19 Pandemic by using valid keywords, including resilience, healthcare workers, COVID-19 through ProQuest, ScienceDirect and SpingerLink. Results: A total of 10 articles were selected for the literature review. The process of self-reflection is one of the important things for healthcare workers. Optimizing relisience of healthcare workers by carrying out an efficient division of tasks to reduce workloads, give more attention to their needs, provide training and knowledge about digital applications to increase capacity in carrying out their work, provide mental health support for healthcare workers and creating a safe and comfortable work environment for them. Conclusions: Maintaining health during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important thing that needs to be done by healthcare workers. Stress management is an important factor in dealing with a pandemic. Create an assessment of the resilience of healthcare workers by detecting gaps, determining priorities, developing plans to prevent psychosocial hazards at all levels both individual and organizational levels.

scholarly journals Psychological Stress Risk Factors, Concerns and Mental Health Support Among Health Care Workers in Vietnam During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuong Thi Lan Nguyen ◽  
Tien Bao Le Nguyen ◽  
Anh Gia Pham ◽  
Khanh Ngoc Cong Duong ◽  
Mac Ardy Junio Gloria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Consulting Services ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly affected health care workers (HCWs), including their mental health. However, there has been limited evidence on this topic in the Vietnamese context. Therefore, this study aimed to explore COVID-19-related, psychological stress risk factors among HCWs, their concerns and demands for mental health support during the pandemic period.Methods: We employed a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling. An online, self-administered questionnaire was used and distributed through social media among medical and non-medical HCWs from April 22 to May 12, 2020. HCWs were categorized either as frontline or non-frontline. We measured the prevalence of psychological stress using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with psychological stress among HCWs.Results: Among the 774 enrolled participants, 761 (98.3%) eligible subjects were included in the analysis. Most respondents were females (58.2%), between 31 and 40 years of age (37.1%), lived in areas where confirmed COVID-19 cases had been reported (61.9%), medical HCWs (59.9%) and practiced being at the frontline (46.3%). The prevalence of stress was 34.3%. We identified significant risk factors such as being frontline HCWs (odds ratio [OR] = 1.77 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–2.67]), perceiving worse well-being as compared to those before the COVID-19 outbreak [OR = 4.06 (95% CI: 2.15–7.67)], and experiencing chronic diseases [OR = 1.67 (95% CI: (1.01–2.77)]. Majority (73.9%) were concerned about testing positive for COVID-19 and exposing the infection to their families. Web-based psychological interventions that could provide knowledge on managing mental distress and consulting services were highly demanded among HCWs.Conclusion: The prevalence of psychological stress among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic was high. There were also significant risk factors associated with it. Psychological interventions involving web-based consulting services are highly recommended to provide mental health support among HCWs.

scholarly journals COVID-19: Mental Health Prevention and Care for Healthcare Professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Rolling ◽  
Amaury C. Mengin ◽  
Cédric Palacio ◽  
Dominique Mastelli ◽  
Morgane Fath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Health Prevention ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Care System

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed health professionals to high stress levels inducing significant psychological impact. Our region, Grand Est, was the most impacted French region during the first COVID-19 wave. In this context, we created CoviPsyHUS, local mental health prevention and care system dedicated explicitly to healthcare workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in one of this region's tertiary hospitals. We deployed CoviPsyHUS gradually in 1 month. To date, CoviPsyHUS comprises 60 mental health professionals dedicated to 4 complementary components: (i) a mental health support hotline (170 calls), (ii) relaxation rooms (used by 2,120 healthcare workers with 110 therapeutic workshops offered), (iii) mobile teams (1,200 contacts with healthcare staff), and (iv) a section dedicated to patients and their families. Among the critical points to integrate mental health care system during a crisis, we identified: (i) massive dissemination of mental health support information with multimodal communication, (ii) clear identification of the mental health support system, (iii) proactive mobile teams to identify healthcare professionals in difficulty, (iv) concrete measures to relieve the healthcare professionals under pressure (e.g., the relay in communication with families), (v) support for primary needs (body care (physiotherapy), advice and first-line therapy for sleep disorders), and (vi) psychoeducation and emotion management techniques. The different components of CoviPsyHUS are vital elements in meeting the needs of caregivers in situations of continuous stress. The organization of 4 targeted, modular, and rapidly deployable components makes CoviPsyHUS an innovative, reactive, and replicable mental health prevention and care system that could serve as a universal support model for other COVID-19 affected teams or other exceptional health crises in the future.

Interventions to support the mental health of survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110392
Author(s):  
Nicola Wright ◽  
Melanie Jordan ◽  
Runa Lazzarino
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Child Labour ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Modern Slavery ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Child Soldiering

Background: Modern slavery is a term which incorporates a range of exploitative situations that involve the violation of human rights and the subjugation of individuals. It presents a significant public health concern. Post-release, survivors of modern slavery have complex mental health needs. Whilst mental health provision is a component of international and national policy, the delivery of evidence-based support remains a gap in the global anti-slavery response. Aim: To identify and synthesise the evidence base for mental health interventions developed and evaluated for use in a post-slavery survivor population. Methods: A systematic literature review was undertaken. The review protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO and followed the PRISMA guidance in its reporting. A multi-stage search strategy was utilised to retrieve studies. Quality appraisal was undertaken using the QualSyst tool. Due to heterogeneity in study design, a narrative approach to synthesising the findings was undertaken. Results: Nine studies met the final inclusion criteria. The narrative synthesis clustered the studies in three themes: study design and population; type of intervention; and outcomes reported. The included studies focussed on specific subpopulations, namely child soldiering, child labour or sex trafficking. Conclusion: This review has highlighted not only important theory-practice gaps in relation to the provision of evidence-based mental health support but scant evidence limited to specific sub-groups (child soldiering, child labour or sex trafficking). The emphasis placed on PTSD within the interventions tested risks mental health support becoming exclusionary to those with other needs. When assessing intervention efficacy, the complex socio-political context in which survivors exist as well as the increasing emphasis on holistic care, personal recovery and lived experience need to be considered. Taking this into account, the case can be made for the inclusion of a wider range of non-clinical outcomes in the assessment of mental health intervention effectiveness.

Self-help digital interventions targeted at improving psychological wellbeing in young people with common mental health conditions: A Systematic Review (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla M Babbage ◽  
Georgina M Jackson ◽  
E Bethan Davies ◽  
Elena Nixon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trials ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Digital Interventions ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BACKGROUND Rates of suicide, self-harm and mental disorders remain high in young people, while those diagnosed with mental disorders experience poorer wellbeing than their counterparts. Barriers to accessing mental health support include reduced healthcare coverage, a lack of trained professionals, stigma and embarrassment in accessing support. Self-help digital interventions can be delivered on mass, at low cost and without need for trained input, hence facilitating access to mental health support Research has shown that self-help interventions are effective in young people with mental health conditions but systematic reviews of such studies have been limited to randomised controlled trials (RCTs). OBJECTIVE The objective was to systematically review all controlled studies of digitally delivered self-help interventions for young people, aged 9-25, with reduced wellbeing. Adherence to interventions was also explored. METHODS A systematic search of PsychInfo, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus and MEDLINE databases from inception to 2020, reference searches of relevant papers and a grey literature search was carried out to find any controlled study conducted with young people with diagnosed or self-diagnosed reduced wellbeing, exploring the effectiveness of a digital intervention aimed at improving their wellbeing. Data was extracted that identified the effectiveness and retention rates of the intervention, and the quality of the studies. RESULTS Of the 816 studies which were screened, 11 met the inclusion criteria; nine studies were randomised controlled trials and two were controlled before and after studies. The majority of studies aimed to improve symptoms of depression, two interventions were aimed at both anxiety and depressive symptoms and two studies at improving social functioning difficulties. Due to high risk of bias across interventions, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Retention rates across studies were assessed as moderate to high. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the findings indicated that unguided self-help interventions improved wellbeing in the areas intended by the intervention, and also found additional areas of wellbeing being positively affected by interventions. These findings, alongside the advantages of self-help interventions, highlight the need for the up-scaling of self-help interventions to better support vulnerable populations of young people.

scholarly journals What should be done to support the mental health of healthcare staff treating COVID-19 patients?

2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek K. Tracy ◽  
Mark Tarn ◽  
Rod Eldridge ◽  
Joanne Cooke ◽  
James D.F. Calder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Moral Injury ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support

SummaryThere is an urgent need to provide evidence-based well-being and mental health support for front-line clinical staff managing the COVID-19 pandemic who are at risk of moral injury and mental illness. We describe the evidence base for a tiered model of care, and practical steps on its implementation.

The Essential Network (TEN): Protocol for an implementation trial of a digital-first mental health solution for Australian healthcare workers during COVID-19 (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew James Coleshill ◽  
Peter Baldwin ◽  
Melissa Black ◽  
Jill Newby ◽  
Tanya Shrestha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Implementation Strategy ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Mental Health Stigma ◽  
Mental Health Support ◽  
Health Support ◽  
Blended Care ◽  
Implementation Trial

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare workers (HCWs) under severe stress, compounded by barriers to seeking mental health support among HCWs. The Essential Network (TEN) is a blend of digital and person-to-person (blended care) mental health support services for HCWs, funded by the Australian Federal Department of Health as part of their national COVID-19 response strategy. New blended services need to demonstrate improvements in mental health symptoms and test acceptability in their target audience, as well as review implementation strategies to improve engagement. OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this implementation trial is to design and test an implementation strategy to improve uptake of TEN. The secondary objectives are examining the acceptability of TEN among HCWs, changes in mental health outcomes associated with use of TEN, as well as reductions in mental health stigma among HCWs following use of TEN. METHODS The implementation trial contains three components: a consultation study with up to 39 stakeholders or researchers with implementation experience to design an implementation strategy; a longitudinal observational study of at least 105 healthcare workers to examine the acceptability of TEN and the effectiveness of TEN at one and six months in improving mental health (as assessed by Distress Questionnaire (DQ-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OBI-16), and Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS)) and reducing mental health stigma (Endorsed and Anticipated Stigma Inventory (EASI)); and an implementation study where TEN service uptake analytics will be examined for three months before and after the introduction of the implementation strategy. RESULTS The implementation strategy, designed with input from the consultation and observational studies, is expected to lead to an increased number of unique visits to the TEN Website in the three months following the introduction of the implementation strategy. The observational study is expected to observe high service acceptability. Moderate improvements to general mental health (DQ-5, WSAS) and a reduction in workplace- and treatment-related mental health stigma (EASI) between the baseline and 1-month timepoints. CONCLUSIONS TEN is a first-of-kind blended mental health service available to Australian HCWs. The results of this project have the potential to inform the implementation and development of blended care mental health services, as well as how such services can be effectively implemented during crisis. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

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