The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Iranian Psychiatric Trainees’ and Early Career Psychiatrists’ Well-being, Work Conditions, and Education

Abstract

Objectives This study was conducted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists in Iran. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, the authors used a 24-item questionnaire inquiring about the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, their views on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their professional careers, methods of education, workplace environment, well-being and mental health, and the use of telepsychiatry in Iran. Results A total of 159 responses were received. The majority ( n =124, 78.0%) reported that “some but not all obligatory activities have been converted to online activities.” Most of the participants ( n =103, 64.8%) stated that the pandemic had not affected the duration of their training. Less than half ( n =61, 38.4%) reported that their well-being had been affected rather negatively. Some ( n =59, 37.1%) reported that their supervisors or coworkers had no significant impact on their well-being, whereas others ( n =53, 33.3%) reported a rather positive impact. Almost half of the participants ( n =78, 49.0%) did not have access to free psychological counseling. In addition, more than half ( n =89, 56.0%) reported that there were no recommendations on how to proceed with telepsychiatry. Conclusions This study calls for improvements in the education and well-being of psychiatric trainees and early career psychiatrists in Iran amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional research should be carried out to maximize learning, provide mental health care, and use telepsychiatry.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being, work conditions, and education of early career psychiatrists in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: study protocol

“…A mixed-methods study will be conducted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ECPs in three countries of the EMRO, a sub-community of WHO that comprises a group of developing countries with diverse economies located in Southwest Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa ( 11 ). This study will focus on three EMRO member countries: Tunisia, a North African nation with a lower-middle-income ( 12 ); Egypt, a country with a medium level of development with its Human Development Index (HDI) ranking of 101 out of 169 nations by the World Bank ( 13 ); and Iran, where the promotion of mental health and occupational mental health is often overlooked in psychiatry training programs ( 14 ).…”

Higher Subjective Burden in Psychiatric Compared to Somatic Healthcare Workers in Germany During the first wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Questions 1-8 included demographic items (e. g. age, gender, area of work). We measured mental strain with 20 items on subjective burden (e. g. workload, loss of free time, sleeping disorder, worries about the future; Q9, 10, 12, 24, 25, 26, 30, 33), worries about the virus (Q27, 28, 29), measures and management by political leaders and hospital management (Q11, 13,14,19,20,21,22) and the treatment of both patients tested positive and negative for COVID-19 (Q31, 32). The items were rated on a five-point-Likert-scale from 1 ("strongly disagree") to 5 ("strongly agree").…”

“…One study conducted among a sample of 460 PHCWs in the USA revealed that 73 % of workers reported moderate to high levels of role stress and 56 % reported moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion [8]. In view of the pandemic , there are numerous studies on mental health among other HCWs (OHCWs) not working in psychiatric hospitals [9,10], but only few on PHCWs' mental health [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Among the existing studies, the majority assessed working conditions, general well-being or prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout in sam-ples exclusively consisting of psychiatrists or PHCWs [12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…In view of the pandemic , there are numerous studies on mental health among other HCWs (OHCWs) not working in psychiatric hospitals [9,10], but only few on PHCWs' mental health [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Among the existing studies, the majority assessed working conditions, general well-being or prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout in sam-ples exclusively consisting of psychiatrists or PHCWs [12][13][14][15][16]. One study examined potential differences in a sample of 164 psychiatrists and 561 other physicians, regarding distress, life satisfaction as well as COVID-19 specific concerns, anxiety and coping strategies.…”

Arts therapies for mental disorders in COVID-19 patients: a comprehensive review

“…The global death amounted to 6.9 million, accounting for 0.08% of the global population ( 1 ). The COVID-19 pandemic has far-reaching impacts on various societal sectors, generates considerable stress among healthcare workers ( 2 , 3 ), and induces significant emotional strain on the general population due to the extensive infection rates and associated mortality ( 4 – 6 ). This considerable burden leads to psychological and mental health problems, emanating not only from the physical symptoms of the disease but also from various stressors ( 7 , 8 ).…”