Mental health experiences of healthcare professionals during COVID-19

Orientation: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to fundamental changes in the workplace for many, particularly healthcare workers.Research purpose: This study explored healthcare workers’ (ophthalmologists, nurses and support staff) experiences of anxiety, depression, burnout, resilience and coping strategies during lockdown Levels 2 and 3 in an Ophthalmic consulting practice and hospital in South Africa.Motivation for the study: The increased workplace stress and vulnerability associated with working during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced an unprecedented level of risk for healthcare workers. Factors contributing to psychological distress must be identified and appropriately mitigated, to prevent dire human and economic costs.Research approach/design and method: A survey was sent out at two separate times to a convenience sample of 31 and 15 healthcare workers respectively. The survey consisted of a demographics section, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Burnout Measure short-version, Brief Cope Inventory, Connor Davidson Resilience Inventory and six open-ended questions investigating personal health and support experiences during COVID-19. Descriptive analyses and thematic analysis were used for data analysis.Main findings: The sample of healthcare workers experienced some degree of psychological distress, including anxiety, burnout and a lack of social support on both surveys. However, these symptoms were alleviated by personal factors, including positive coping mechanisms, high resilience and organisational support.Practical/managerial implications: Healthcare facilities should consider in-house structures focusing on building resilience and positive coping mechanisms, whilst ensuring that workplace conditions are optimal for staff members.Contribution/value-add: This study provides some insight into both the risk and protective factors experienced by health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Prevalence of anxiety and depression in medical students of a public sector medical college in Islamabad and coping mechanisms adopted

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association ◽

10.47391/jpma.2107 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rizwan Zafar ◽

Muhammad Raheel ◽

Muhammad Ahmed Mujtaba ◽

Rabia Mahmood ◽

Muhammad Umair Nawaz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Sample Size ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical College ◽

Positive Coping ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping

The objectives of this study were to find out the frequency of anxiety and depression in medical students and various coping mechanisms adopted by them to identify the coping trends and to stress the need of equipping these students with positive coping tools to deal with anxiety and depression. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based observational study was conducted on a population of 500 medical students of Federal Medical and Dental College, Islamabad. The duration of the study was three months. By using the WHO sample size calculator, taking the confidence level 95%, anticipated population proportion 70% and absolute precision required 7%, the sample size was calculated at 165. The samples were collected by non-probability consecutive sampling via a questionnaire. In the study, two instruments were used: 1) Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS), and 2) Brief Cope Inventory. ---Continue

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Is Psychological Flexibility a Coping Mechanism?

10.31234/osf.io/ebw4g ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Tindle ◽

Alla Hemi ◽

Ahmed Moustafa

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Psychological Flexibility ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Coping Mechanism ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Acceptance And Commitment ◽

High Level

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of many individuals and has caused global increases in psychological distress. Research has shown that social support, psychological flexibility, and coping mechanisms are important protective factors against psychological distress. However, recent evidence suggested that psychological flexibility might not be a coping mechanism but could be the mechanisms to determine the type of coping approach an individual will employ during stressful events. In this study, we test a novel theoretical mediation model to identify if, during stressful events (i.e., COVID-19), individuals perceived level of social support directly increases their psychological flexibility; and if the effect of psychological flexibility on psychological distress is mediated by approach and avoidant coping strategies. To test the model, 360 participants completed the following surveys: COVID-19 concerns scale, the multidimensional scale of perceived social support, the comprehensive assessment of acceptance and commitment therapy, and the brief COPE. Results show that most participants report a high level of psychological distress. One novel finding in our study was the mediating role of coping mechanism between psychological flexibility and psychological distress. Our results partially confirm that psychological flexibility might influence the type of coping an individual will employ during stressful events. Within the context of COVID-19, we have shown that social support, psychological flexibility and the types of coping mechanisms individuals employ have an impact on their levels of psychological distress. However, we argue that the proposed model could be applied to other stressful events.

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Protecting the front line: a cross-sectional survey analysis of the occupational factors contributing to healthcare workers’ infection and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042752 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. e042752 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tsion Firew ◽

Ellen D Sano ◽

Jonathan W Lee ◽

Stefan Flores ◽

Kendrick Lang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Front Line ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Burn Out ◽

The Usa

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with significant occupational stressors and challenges for front-line healthcare workers (HCWs), including COVID-19 exposure risk. Our study sought to assess factors contributing to HCW infection and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA.DesignWe conducted a cross sectional survey of HCWs (physicians, nurses, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), non-clinical staff) during May 2020. Participants completed a 42-item survey assessing disease transmission risk (clinical role, work environment, availability of personal protective equipment) and mental health (anxiety, depression and burn-out).SettingThe questionnaire was disseminated over various social media platforms. 3083 respondents from 48 states, the District of Columbia and US territories accessed the survey.ParticipantsUsing a convenience sample of HCWs who worked during the pandemic, 3083 respondents accessed the survey and 2040 participants completed at least 80% of the survey.Primary outcomePrevalence of self-reported COVID-19 infection, in addition to burn-out, depression and anxiety symptoms.ResultsParticipants were largely from the Northeast and Southern USA, with attending physicians (31.12%), nurses (26.80%), EMTs (13.04%) with emergency medicine department (38.30%) being the most common department and specialty represented. Twenty-nine per cent of respondents met the criteria for being a probable case due to reported COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test. HCWs in the emergency department (31.64%) were more likely to contract COVID-19 compared with HCWs in the ICU (23.17%) and inpatient settings (25.53%). HCWs that contracted COVID-19 also reported higher levels of depressive symptoms (mean diff.=0.31; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.47), anxiety symptoms (mean diff.=0.34; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.52) and burn-out (mean diff.=0.54; 95% CI 0.36 to 0.71).ConclusionHCWs have experienced significant physical and psychological risk while working during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the urgent need for increased support for provider physical and mental health well-being.

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The GRIM2005 Study of Migraine Consultation in France. III: Psychological Features of Subjects With Migraine

Cephalalgia ◽

10.1111/j.1468-2982.2008.01718.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 338-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

F Radat ◽

M Lantéri-Minet ◽

F Nachit-Ouinekh ◽

H Massiou ◽

C Lucas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Locus Of Control ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Illness Perception ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Episodic Migraine ◽

Psychological Variables ◽

Illness Perception Questionnaire ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Headache Impact

The objective of this analysis was to describe psychological and cognitive variables in subjects with migraine and to identify those associated with chronicity. Data were collected from 10 000 subjects during face-to-face interview. Subjects with episodic migraine ( n = 1127) or chronic daily headache ( n = 407) with migrainous features were identified using an algorithm based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd edn classification. Data on headache impact was obtained with the Headache Impact Test-6, on psychological distress with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, on coping with the Coping Strategy Questionnaire catastrophizing score and the Brief COPE inventory, on illness perception with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and on locus of control. Psychological variables associated with chronicity include perceived headache impact, psychological distress, the use of catastrophizing and avoidance coping strategies and an externalized locus of control. In conclusion, maladaptive coping strategies should be taken into account in the management of patients with migraine. Longitudinal studies will be necessary to address the causality of the relationship observed.

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A survey to evaluate mental well being and coping strategies of adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangalore, India

Journal of Student Research ◽

10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1835 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Arna Bhattacharya ◽

DR Jigyansa Ipsita Pattnaik ◽

DR Suhas Chandran

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Online Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Development Stage ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Brief Cope ◽

And Coping ◽

Mental Well Being

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the lifestyle of adolescents. Adolescence is a development stage of high vulnerability that can impact well-being later in life. Mental health plays an important role in one’s quality of life. Understanding coping mechanisms helps make a person safe and resilient from psychological distress. The present study aims to evaluate the mental well-being and coping strategies used by adolescents in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a school in Bangalore, India via an online survey, circulated via the class teacher. Participants included 222 adolescents with ages ranging from 13 to 19. The DASS-21 and Brief COPE scales were used to assess mental well-being and coping mechanisms respectively. The questionnaire concluded with validated general lifestyle related questions. This included inquiring relationships between students and their families, friends, academic performance, social media consumption etc. The data was collected over a period of one month. Results: In the DASS-21 scoring, 31.9% (n=69), 24.8% (n=55) and 5.4% (n=12) received scores indicating extremely severe depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Females were statistically found to be more depressed and anxious than males. Behavioural disengagement and self blame were commonly used coping mechanisms by those who were found to be psychologically distressed. Conclusions: Psychological distress has been observed in adolescents in varying degrees during the COVID-19 pandemic. This should be addressed in order to prevent further distress. Keywords: adolescents, covid-19, mental well being, DASS-21, Brief COPE, depression, anxiety, stress

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The relationships between resilience and student personal factors in an undergraduate medical program

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02547-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ardi Findyartini ◽

Nadia Greviana ◽

Azis Muhammad Putera ◽

Reynardi Larope Sutanto ◽

Vernonia Yora Saki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Medical Students ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Big Five ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Maladaptive Coping ◽

Brief Cope

Abstract Background Resilience is an essential aspect of wellbeing that plays a major role in undergraduate medical education. Various personal and social factors are known to affect resilience. Empirical evidence remains limited regarding resilience and the personal factors that affect it among undergraduate medical students in an Asian setting. Therefore, this study aims to identify undergraduate medical students’ level of resilience and its relationships to personal factors in Indonesia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students in years 1–6. Respondents were asked to complete three validated questionnaires: the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) to measure resilience, the Brief-COPE to assess coping mechanisms, and the Big Five Personality Test to measure five personality dimensions. Descriptive and Pearson’s correlation analyses were completed to explore relationships between each variable. Regression analysis was completed to analyze the extent to which coping mechanisms, personality, and academic achievement explained the variation in resilience scores. Results A total of 1040 respondents completed the questionnaires (a 75.42% response rate). Students in both preclinical and clinical stages had quite good levels of resilience and higher scores on adaptive coping mechanisms than on maladaptive coping mechanisms. Adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms, Big Five Personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness), and students’ academic achievement explained 46.9% of students’ resilience scores. Conclusions Although the resilience scores in this study were comparable to resilience scores among undergraduate medical students in other settings, we found that coping mechanisms, personality traits, and academic performance may predict resilience among medical students.

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Differences Between Health Workers and General Population in Risk Perception, Behaviors, and Psychological Distress Related to COVID-19 Spread in Italy

10.31234/osf.io/qv43h ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luca Simione ◽

Camilla Gnagnarella

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Risk Perception ◽

General Population ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Psychological State ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

South Italy ◽

Living Area

In this study, we investigated the perception of risk and the worries about COVID-19 infection in both healthcare workers and general population in Italy. We studied the difference in risk perception in these two groups, and how this related to demographic variables and psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, and death anxiety. To this aim, we administered an online questionnaire about COVID-19 together with other questionnaires assessing the psychological condition of participants. First, we found that the exposition to infection risk, due to living area or job, increased the perceived stress and anxiety (i.e. medical staff in North Italy was more stressed and anxious respect to both medical- and non-medical participants from Center and South Italy). Then, we conducted hierarchical logistic regression models on our data to assess the response odds ratio relatively to each predictor on each dependent variable. We found that health workers reported higher risk perception, level of worry, and knowledge as related to COVID-19 infection compared to general population. Also psychological state, gender, and living area were important predictors of these factors. Instead, judgments about behaviors and containment rules were more linked to demographics, such as gender and alcohol consumption. We discussed these results in the light of risk factors for psychological distress and possible interventions to meet the psychological needs of healthcare workers.

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Interactive Effects of Stoicism and Religious Coping on Psychological Distress, Fatigue and Intercultural Communication: Muslim Health Workers in Bali

Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies ◽

10.29333/ejecs/920 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 214

Author(s):

A Akrim ◽

Rudianto Rudianto ◽

Abrar Adhani

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Religious Coping ◽

Intercultural Communication ◽

Health Workers ◽

Interactive Effect ◽

Coping Mechanisms ◽

The Body ◽

Interactive Effects ◽

Physical Fatigue ◽

Positive Religious Coping

The rapid transmission of Covid-19 posed threats and challenges for people all around the world. Based on self-ownership theory, the current study tested the interactive effect of positive religious coping and stoicism in decreasing psychological distress and physical fatigue and increasing intercultural communication among Muslim health workers. This study advances the body of literature regarding coping mechanisms in the form of stoic believes and religion to decrease the stressors during disastrous situations like the COVID-19. Using a longitudinal field survey, data were collected from 243 Muslim health workers performing their duties at various public and private hospitals and medical centers in Bali, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS software. The results revealed that interactive effects of positive religious coping with stoicism helped decrease psychological stress and physical fatigue and increase intercultural communication among Muslim health workers during Covid-19. The study contributed to the body of knowledge regarding the role of religious practices and stoicism in building coping mechanisms among Muslim health workers to sustain themselves in a challenging environment.

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Differences between health workers and general population in risk perception, behaviors, and psychological distress related to COVID-19 spread in Italy.

10.31234/osf.io/84d2c ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Luca Simione ◽

Camilla Gnagnarella

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Risk Perception ◽

General Population ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Psychological State ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

South Italy ◽

Living Area

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Depression and anxiety among family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2015.33.29_suppl.224 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (29_suppl) ◽

pp. 224-224

Author(s):

Ryan David Nipp ◽

Joel Fishbein ◽

Areej El-Jawahri ◽

William F. Pirl ◽

Samantha M.C. Moran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Family Caregivers ◽

Advanced Cancer ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Cancer Center ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Early Palliative Care ◽

Brief Cope ◽

Significant Depression

224 Background: Despite the important role family caregivers (CGs) play in the care of patients with cancer, little is known about their psychological distress. We sought to describe rates and correlates of depression and anxiety in CGs of patients with advanced cancer to determine those at greatest risk for psychological distress. Methods: As part of an ongoing trial of early palliative care, we are assessing baseline depression and anxiety in patients within 8 weeks of advanced lung or gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis and their CGs. We are administering the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), with subscale scores >7 denoting clinically significant depression or anxiety. We are assessing patient coping styles with the Brief COPE. We used multiple logistic regression with purposeful selection of covariates to identify correlates of CG depression and anxiety. Results: Of 240 CGs (mean age=57 years), 156 (65%) were spouses/partners, 167 (70%) were female, and 131 (55%) were working. 37 (15%) and 102 (43%) CGs reported significant depression and anxiety, respectively. CG age, gender and employment status, as well as patients’ anxiety and lack of acceptance coping were associated with higher rates of CG depression. CG age, gender, marital status and education level, as well as patients’ anxiety and presence of brain metastases were associated with higher rates of CG anxiety. Conclusions: Younger, female CGs were at greatest risk of both depression and anxiety. Thus, this CG population should be monitored closely and referred for cancer center support services for distress management. We also found that patients’ anxiety was associated with higher rates of both CG depression and anxiety, underscoring the importance of interventions that address both patient and CG psychological distress. Clinical trial information: NCT01401907. [Table: see text]

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