Occupational Stress, Burnout, and Depression in Women in Healthcare During COVID-19 Pandemic: Rapid Scoping Review

Abstract

Objectives: The overall objectives of this rapid scoping review are to (a) identify the common triggers of stress, burnout, and depression faced by women in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (b) explore individual-, organizational-, and systems-level interventions that can support the well-being of women HCWs during a pandemic.Design: This scoping review is registered on Open Science Framework (OSF) and was guided by the JBI guide to scoping reviews and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) extension to scoping reviews. A systematic search of literature databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo and ERIC) was conducted from inception until June 12, 2020. Two reviewers independently assessed full-text articles according to predefined criteria.Interventions: We included review articles and primary studies that reported on stress, burnout, and depression in HCWs; that primarily focused on women; and that included the percentage or number of women included. All English language studies from any geographical setting where COVID-19 has affected the population were reviewed.Primary and secondary outcome measures: Studies reporting on mental health outcomes (e.g., stress, burnout, and depression in HCWs), interventions to support mental health well-being were included.Results: Of the 2,803 papers found, 28 were included. The triggers of stress, burnout and depression are grouped under individual-, organizational-, and systems-level factors. There is a limited amount of evidence on effective interventions that prevents anxiety, stress, burnout and depression during a pandemic.Conclusions: Our preliminary findings show that women HCWs are at increased risk for stress, burnout, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. These negative outcomes are triggered by individual level factors such as lack of social support; family status; organizational factors such as access to personal protective equipment or high workload; and systems-level factors such as prevalence of COVID-19, rapidly changing public health guidelines, and a lack of recognition at work.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Burnout Among Healthcare Workers During COVID-19

“…Nevertheless, according to the best knowledge of the author, no meta-analysis has been conducted on the overall prevalence of burnout among healthcare workers. Most of the currently published studies have focused on burnout among healthcare staff of COVID-19 wards ( 26 ), physicians ( 27 ), or female healthcare workers ( 28 ), and primarily described the triggers and risk factors, as well as interventions and suggestions for burnout reduction. One study summarized the prevalence of nurse burnout during pandemics ( 29 ).…”

One in Five Street Traditional Coffee Vendors Suffered from Depression During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Harar Town, Ethiopia

“…Women, in particular, are at increased risk of mental disorders probably due to the lack of social support, high workload/family burden, and poor recognition. 36 , 37 In COVID-19 affected areas, women were found to be economically disadvantaged. 38 In developing countries, women are usually prevented from entering formal sectors in relation to culture, religion, illiteracy, and family obligations.…”

Gender Differences in Psychological and Behavioral Responses of Infected and Uninfected Health-Care Workers During the Early COVID-19 Outbreak

“…Recently, many studies on frontline HCWs' burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic were conducted, and a multicenter study with large sample size showed females HCWs presented higher exhaustions score ( 21 ), and other two studies reported that the burnout level was higher in frontline female HCWs ( 22 , 23 ). In addition, an original study and a scoping review showed higher prevalence of stress and depression in female HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 24 , 25 ). Female HCWs experienced more psychological problems, which could impact their work performance and health conditions greatly.…”