Wellbeing and Stress Coping among Healthcare and Pharmacy Workers: Experiences during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Lithuania

Abstract

(1) Background. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals faced psychological and social challenges in addition to a sharp increase in workload. The aim of this work was to reveal how healthcare and pharmacy workers assessed their wellbeing and the methods of coping they employed to overcome stress during quarantine. (2) Methods. The mixed-method study was conducted between August and October 2020, integrating quantitative (n = 967) and qualitative (n = 27) strategies. Doctors, nurses, healthcare administrative staff, pharmacy specialists, and other employees of the healthcare system were interviewed retrospectively about their experiences during and following lockdown (March–June 2020). (3) Results. Overall, 38.7% of the respondents reported a decrease in psychological wellbeing, while 23.4% of the respondents reported a decrease in physical wellbeing during quarantine. The healthcare professionals’ narratives identified a shift from nonspecific fears at the beginning of the pandemic to the more concrete fear of contracting COVID-19, of infecting others, and about their loved ones, as well as undifferentiated fear. Multivariate analysis revealed that a subjective decrease in wellbeing was typical in professionals who had had direct contact with patients infected with COVID-19, as well as those with stronger fears, and those who were more likely to employ compulsive distancing and substance use as ways to cope with stress. (3) Conclusions. The results suggest that lockdown had a negative impact on healthcare workers’ wellbeing during the first pandemic wave in 2020.

Negative representations of night-shift work and mental health of public hospital healthcare workers in the COVID-19 era (Aladdin survey)

“…A prospective online cohort study in Japan [ 45 ] highlighted significantly higher levels of psychological distress and fear of COVID-19 in healthcare workers than in other workers. Some others internationals studies mentioned the consequences of lockdown on healthcare workers particularly their mental health [ 44 , 46 – 48 ]. A cross-sectional survey in Spain [ 49 ] assessed the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers’ sleep quality.…”

Digital Interventions to Understand and Mitigate Stress Response: Protocol for Process and Content Evaluation of a Cohort Study

“…Continued unrelenting personal and work-related challenges have, at times, resulted in individuals compromising their beliefs and values to make difficult decisions, which may have life-or-death consequences [8][9][10][11][12]. Clinicians have reported acting in ways that are contrary to their moral values, integrity, and professional commitments, particularly during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic [13,14].…”