Surviving SARS and living through COVID-19: Healthcare worker mental health outcomes and insights for coping

Styra, Rima; Hawryluck, Laura; Geer, Allison Mc; Dimas, Michelle; Sheen, Jack; Giacobbe, Peter; Dattani, Neil D.; Lorello, Gianni R.; Rac, Valeria E.; Francis, Troy; Wu, Pin; Luk, Wing-Si; Ng, Enoch; Nadarajah, Jeya; Wingrove, Kaila; Gold, Wayne L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0258893

Cited by 36 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Interestingly, one factor which led to no significant differences in job enjoyment, satisfaction outside work, wellbeing, resilience and redeployment-related anxiety, was the staff 's type of role: e.g., patient vs. non-patient facing occupational role during the pandemic. While this seems counterintuitive as most of the previous research suggested that increased exposure to COVID-19 pandemic decreases psychological wellbeing (5,7,9,10,18,27), there have been a number of studies showing nonclinical staff to have lower wellbeing scores than HCWs (17, 31,42,58). The authors suggested that the unbalanced degrees of preparation for and support through the pandemic, could be a possible explanation for the low wellbeing scores reported by staff not directly involved in managing the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Marital Status and Gender Differences as Key Determinants of COVID-19 Impact on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction and Resilience in Health Care Workers and Staff Working in Academia in the UK During the First Wave of the Pandemic

Peng

Doolan

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global public health crisis that continues to exert immense pressure on healthcare and related professional staff and services. The impact on staff wellbeing is likely to be influenced by a combination of modifiable and non-modifiable factors.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the self-reported wellbeing, resilience, and job satisfaction of National Health Service (NHS) and university staff working in the field of healthcare and medical research.MethodsWe conducted a cross sectional survey of NHS and UK university staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic between May-November 2020. The anonymous and voluntary survey was disseminated through social media platforms, and via e-mail to members of professional and medical bodies. The data was analyzed using descriptive and regression (R) statistics.ResultsThe enjoyment of work and satisfaction outside of work was significantly negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for all of staff groups independent of other variables. Furthermore, married women reporting significantly lower wellbeing than married men (P = 0.028). Additionally, the wellbeing of single females was significantly lower than both married women and men (P = 0.017 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Gender differences were also found in satisfaction outside of work, with women reporting higher satisfaction than men before the COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.0002).ConclusionOur study confirms that the enjoyment of work and general satisfaction of staff members has been significantly affected by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, being married appears to be a protective factor for wellbeing and resilience but the effect may be reversed for life satisfaction outside work. Our survey highlights the critical need for further research to examine gender differences using a wider range of methods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Marital Status and Gender Differences as Key Determinants of COVID-19 Impact on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction and Resilience in Health Care Workers and Staff Working in Academia in the UK During the First Wave of the Pandemic

Peng

Doolan

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…Previous research has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant psychological toll on HCWs [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ], including the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms [ 12 , 13 ]. Specific subgroups within HCWs, such as front-line and female workers, were particularly vulnerable to worse mental health outcomes [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert

Temsah

Alenezi

Alarabi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged and spread globally at an alarming speed, healthcare workers’ (HCWs) uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies warranted assessment. The COVID-19 pandemic had a severe psychological impact on HCWs, including the development of Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms. Specific subgroups of HCWs, such as front-line and female workers, were more prone to poor mental health outcomes and difficulties facing stress. Methods: The responses to an online questionnaire among HCWs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were collected from 1 December 2021 to 6 December 2021, aiming to assess their uncertainties, worries, resilience, and coping strategies regarding the Omicron variant. Three validated instruments were used to achieve the study’s goals: the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), the Standard Stress Scale (SSS), and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS)—Short Form. Results: The online survey was completed by 1285 HCWs. Females made up the majority of the participants (64%). A total of 1285 HCW’s completed the online survey from all regions in KSA. Resilient coping scored by the BRCS was negatively and significantly correlated with stress as scored by the SSS (r = −0.313, p < 0.010). Moreover, intolerance of uncertainty scored by the IUS positively and significantly correlated with stress (r = 0.326, p < 0.010). Increased stress levels were linked to a considerable drop in resilient coping scores. Furthermore, being a Saudi HCW or a nurse was linked to a significant reduction in resilient coping ratings. Coping by following healthcare authorities’ preventative instructions and using the WHO website as a source of information was linked to a considerable rise in resilient coping. Conclusions: The negative association between resilient coping and stress was clearly shown, as well as how underlying intolerance of uncertainty is linked to higher stress among HCWs quickly following the development of a new infectious threat. The study provides early insights into developing and promoting coping strategies for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

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“…Similar to the current COVID-19 pandemic, UHN cared for the most acutely unwell SARS patients. The SARS pandemic was notable for the distress it generated amongst healthcare workers, with significant levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia and post-traumatic distress reported (R. Maunder, 2004 ; R. Maunder et al, 2006 ; Styra et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shared sources and mechanisms of healthcare worker distress in COVID-19: a comparative qualitative study in Canada and the UK

Berkhout

Billings

Seif

et al. 2022

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the wellbeing of healthcare workers, with quantitative studies identifying increased stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and PTSD in a wide range of settings. Limited qualitative data so far has offered in-depth details concerning what underlies these challenges, but none provide comprehensive comparison across different healthcare systems. Objective: To explore qualitative findings relating to healthcare worker distress from two different countries to understand the nuanced similarities and differences with respect to the sources and impact of distress relating to COVID-19. Method: A comparative interpretive thematic analysis was carried out between two qualitative data sets examining healthcare workers’ experiences of distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from Canada and the UK were collected in parallel and analyzed in an iterative, collaborative process. Results: A number of sources of distress cut across both study settings including concerns about safety and patient care, challenges at home or in one’s personal life, communication issues, work environment, media and public perception, and government responses to the pandemic. These sit on a spectrum from individual to institutional sources and were mutually reinforcing. Our analysis also suggested that common mechanisms such as exacerbations in uncertainty, hypervigilance, and moral injury underpinned these sources, which contributed to how they were experienced as distressing. Conclusion: This is the first international collaboration utilising qualitative data to examine this pressing issue. Despite differences in the political, social, health service, and pandemic-related context, the sources and mechanisms of distress experienced by healthcare workers in Canada and the UK were remarkably similar. HIGHLIGHTS This international comparative qualitative study explores how mechanisms that lead to distress are shared across different geographies and cultures, even as the local context shapes the sources of distress themselves.

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Surviving SARS and living through COVID-19: Healthcare worker mental health outcomes and insights for coping

Cited by 36 publications

References 30 publications

Marital Status and Gender Differences as Key Determinants of COVID-19 Impact on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction and Resilience in Health Care Workers and Staff Working in Academia in the UK During the First Wave of the Pandemic

Marital Status and Gender Differences as Key Determinants of COVID-19 Impact on Wellbeing, Job Satisfaction and Resilience in Health Care Workers and Staff Working in Academia in the UK During the First Wave of the Pandemic

Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert

Shared sources and mechanisms of healthcare worker distress in COVID-19: a comparative qualitative study in Canada and the UK

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