ENACT Study: What has helped health and social care workers maintain their mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic? Adaptive coping, team resilience, help-seeking behaviour and work based supports

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Cogan ◽  
Chloe Kennedy ◽  
Zoe Beck ◽  
Lisa McInnes ◽  
Gillian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Team Resilience ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Rapid studies have highlighted the adverse mental health impact of COVID-19 on health and social care workers (HSCWs). Complementing this work, we report on the psychosocial factors that have helped HSCWs adapt to the adversities associated with COVID-19 and protect staff wellbeing in Scotland. The ENACT study collected data from HSCWs (n= 1364) in Scotland during the third national lockdown. Using a cross-sectional design, participants completed an online survey providing quantitative data and free responses. A multi-method approach to analysis was used. The majority of HSCWs were found to have low wellbeing scores, high levels of COVID-19 stress, worry, burnout and risk perception scores and almost half of HSCWs met the clinical cut off for acute stress. Adaptive coping strategies and increased perceived team resilience helped mitigate against the adverse impact that COVID-19 stressors have on HSCWs’ mental wellbeing. HSCWs were significantly more likely to seek informal support for dealing with personal or emotional problems. Barriers to formal help-seeking were identified including stigma and fears of consequence of disclosure. HSCWs most valued peer support, workplace supports, visible leadership and teamwork. Our findings illuminate the complexity of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HSCWs’ wellbeing and will inform future intervention development to increase positive adaptation amongst staff. Addressing barriers to mental health help-seeking among HSCWs is essential. The implications emphasise the importance of lessons learned across health and social care contexts, planning and preparedness for future pandemics.

scholarly journals What support do frontline workers want? A qualitative study of health and social care workers’ experiences and views of psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256454
Author(s):  
Jo Billings ◽  
Nada Abou Seif ◽  
Siobhan Hegarty ◽  
Tamara Ondruskova ◽  
Emilia Soulios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on the mental health and wellbeing of frontline health and social care workers. The need to support frontline staff has been recognised. However, there is to date little research specifically on how best to support the mental health needs of frontline workers, and none on their own experiences and views about what might be most helpful. Aims We set out to redress this research gap by qualitatively exploring UK frontline health and social care workers’ own experiences and views of psychosocial support during the pandemic. Method Frontline health and social care workers were recruited purposively through social media and by snowball sampling via healthcare colleagues. Workers who volunteered to take part in the study were interviewed remotely following a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed by the research team following the principles of Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results We conducted 25 interviews with frontline workers from a variety of professional groups working in health and social care settings across the UK. Themes derived from our analysis showed that workers’ experiences and views about psychosocial support were complex. Peer support was many workers’ first line of support but could also be experienced as a burden. Workers were ambivalent about support shown by organisations, media and the public. Whilst workers valued psychological support services, there were many disparities in provision and barriers to access. Conclusions The results of this study show that frontline health and social care workers are likely to need a flexible system of support including peer, organisational and professional support. More research is needed to fully unpack the structural, systemic and individual barriers to accessing psychosocial support. Greater collaboration, consultation and co-production of support services and their evaluation is warranted.

scholarly journals A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes H. De Kock ◽  
Helen Ann Latham ◽  
Stephen J. Leslie ◽  
Mark Grindle ◽  
Sarah-Anne Munoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Abstract Background Health and social care workers (HSCWs) have carried a heavy burden during the COVID-19 crisis and, in the challenge to control the virus, have directly faced its consequences. Supporting their psychological wellbeing continues, therefore, to be a priority. This rapid review was carried out to establish whether there are any identifiable risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes amongst HSCWs during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods We undertook a rapid review of the literature following guidelines by the WHO and the Cochrane Collaboration’s recommendations. We searched across 14 databases, executing the search at two different time points. We included published, observational and experimental studies that reported the psychological effects on HSCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results The 24 studies included in this review reported data predominantly from China (18 out of 24 included studies) and most sampled urban hospital staff. Our study indicates that COVID-19 has a considerable impact on the psychological wellbeing of front-line hospital staff. Results suggest that nurses may be at higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes during this pandemic, but no studies compare this group with the primary care workforce. Furthermore, no studies investigated the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social care staff. Other risk factors identified were underlying organic illness, gender (female), concern about family, fear of infection, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and close contact with COVID-19. Systemic support, adequate knowledge and resilience were identified as factors protecting against adverse mental health outcomes. Conclusions The evidence to date suggests that female nurses with close contact with COVID-19 patients may have the most to gain from efforts aimed at supporting psychological well-being. However, inconsistencies in findings and a lack of data collected outside of hospital settings, suggest that we should not exclude any groups when addressing psychological well-being in health and social care workers. Whilst psychological interventions aimed at enhancing resilience in the individual may be of benefit, it is evident that to build a resilient workforce, occupational and environmental factors must be addressed. Further research including social care workers and analysis of wider societal structural factors is recommended.

scholarly journals A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of health and social care workers: implications for psychological interventions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes H. De Kock ◽  
Helen Ann Latham ◽  
Stephen J Leslie ◽  
Mark Grindle ◽  
Sarah-Anne Munoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Abstract BackgroundHealth and social care workers (HSCWs) have carried a heavy burden during the COVID-19 crisis and in the challenge to control the virus have directly faced its consequences. Supporting their psychological wellbeing continues therefore to be a priority. This rapid review was carried out to identify whether there are any identifiable risk factors for adverse mental health outcomes amongst HSCWs during the COVID-19 crisis. The review also sought to identify a participant population for the trial of a digital intervention to support HSCW’s psychological wellbeing during the pandemic. MethodsWe undertook a rapid review of the literature following guidelines by the WHO and the COVID-19 Cochrane Collaboration’s recommendations. We searched across 14 databases, executing the search at two different time points. We included published observational and experimental studies that reported the psychological effects on health and care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. ResultsThe 24 studies included in this review reported data predominantly from China (18 out of 24 included studies) and most sampled urban hospital staff. Our study indicates that COVID-19 has a considerable impact on the psychological wellbeing of front line hospital staff. Results suggest that nurses may be at higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes during this pandemic, but no studies compare this group with the social care or primary care workforce. Other risk factors identified were underlying organic illness, gender (female), concern about family, fear of infection, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and close contact with COVID-19. Resilience was identified as a factor protecting against adverse mental health outcomes. ConclusionsThe evidence to date suggests that female nurses with close contact with COVID-19 patients may have the most to gain from psychological interventions. However, inconsistencies in findings and a lack of data outside of hospital settings, suggest that we should not exclude any groups when addressing psychological wellbeing in health and social care workers. Psychological interventions aimed at enhancing psychological resilience and utilising innovative methods to personalise treatments without excluding groups may be of benefit.

scholarly journals Predictors and rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety in UK frontline health and social care workers during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talya Greene ◽  
Jasmine Harju-Seppänen ◽  
Mariam Adeniji ◽  
Charlotte Steel ◽  
Nick Grey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Clinically Significant

AbstractBackgroundStudies have shown that working in frontline healthcare roles during epidemics and pandemics was associated with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to identify demographic, work-related and other predictors for clinically significant PTSD, depression, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in UK frontline health and social care workers (HSCWs), and to compare rates of distress across different groups of HCSWs working in different roles and settings.MethodsA convenience sample (n=1194) of frontline UK HCSWs completed an online survey during the first wave of the pandemic (27 May – 23 July 2020). Participants worked in UK hospitals, nursing or care homes and other community settings. PTSD was assessed using the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ); Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); Anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7).ResultsNearly 58% of respondents met the threshold for clinically significant PTSD, anxiety or depression, and symptom levels were high across occupational groups and settings. Logistic regression analyses found that participants who were concerned about infecting others, who felt they could not talk with their managers, who reported feeling stigmatised and who had not had reliable access to personal protective equipment (PPE) were more likely to meet criteria for a clinically significant mental disorder. Being redeployed during the pandemic, and having had COVID were associated with higher odds for PTSD. Higher household income was associated with reduced odds for a mental disorder.ConclusionsThis study identified predictors of clinically significant distress during COVID-19 and highlights the need for reliable access to PPE and further investigation of barriers to communication between managers and staff.

scholarly journals The Role of Coping in the Wellbeing and Work-Related Quality of Life of UK Health and Social Care Workers during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 815
Author(s):  
Paula McFadden ◽  
Jana Ross ◽  
John Moriarty ◽  
John Mallett ◽  
Heike Schroder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Active Coping ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Quality Of Working Life ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers’ wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

scholarly journals What support do frontline workers want? A qualitative study of health and social care workers’ experiences and views of psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Billings ◽  
Nada Abou Seif ◽  
Siobhan Hegarty ◽  
Tamara Ondruskova ◽  
Emilia Soulios ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on the mental health and wellbeing of frontline health and social care workers. The need to support frontline staff has been recognised. However, there is to date little research specifically on how best to support the mental health needs of frontline workers, and none on their own experiences and views about what might be most helpful.AimsWe set out to redress this research gap by qualitatively exploring UK frontline health and social care workers’ own experiences and views of psychosocial support during the pandemic.MethodFrontline health and social care workers were recruited purposively through social media and by snowball sampling via healthcare colleagues. Workers who volunteered to take part in the study were interviewed remotely following a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed by the research team following the principles of Reflexive Thematic Analysis.ResultsWe conducted 25 interviews with frontline workers from a variety of professional groups working in health and social care settings across the UK. Themes derived from our analysis showed that workers’ experiences and views about psychosocial support were complex. Peer support was many workers’ first line of support but could also be experienced as a burden. Workers were ambivalent about support shown by organisations, media and the public. Whilst workers valued psychological support services, there were many disparities in provision and barriers to access.ConclusionsThe results of this study show that frontline health and social care workers are likely to need a flexible system of support including peer, organisational and professional support. More research is needed to fully unpack the structural, systemic and individual barriers to accessing psychosocial support. Greater collaboration, consultation and co-production of support services and their evaluation is warranted.

scholarly journals Experiences of mental health professionals supporting front-line health and social care workers during COVID-19: qualitative study

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Billings ◽  
Camilla Biggs ◽  
Brian Chi Fung Ching ◽  
Vasiliki Gkofa ◽  
David Singleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Health And Social Care

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a well-documented impact on the mental health of front-line health and social care workers (HSCWs). However, little attention has been paid to the experiences of, and impact on, the mental health professionals who were rapidly tasked with supporting them. Aims We set out to redress this gap by qualitatively exploring UK mental health professionals’ experiences, views and needs while working to support the well-being of front-line HSCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method Mental health professionals working in roles supporting front-line HSCWs were recruited purposively and interviewed remotely. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed by the research team following the principles of reflexive thematic analysis. Results We completed interviews with 28 mental health professionals from varied professional backgrounds, career stages and settings across the UK. Mental health professionals were motivated and driven to develop new clinical pathways to support HSCWs they perceived as colleagues and many experienced professional growth. However, this also came at some costs, as they took on additional responsibilities and increased workloads, were anxious and uncertain about how best to support this workforce and tended to neglect their own health and well-being. Many were professionally isolated and were affected vicariously by the traumas and moral injuries that healthcare workers talked about in sessions. Conclusions This research highlights the urgent need to consider the mental well-being, training and support of mental health professionals who are supporting front-line workers.

Cultural Values Influence Mental-Health Help-Seeking in Asian and Latinx College Students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elayne Zhou ◽  
Yena Kyeong ◽  
Cecilia Cheung ◽  
Kalina Michalska;Michalska
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Ethnic Group Membership

The current study examined the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported their adherence to cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behavior. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnic background: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence also predicted more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of assessing certain cultural values independently from ethnicity and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors across ethnic group membership.

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