TY - JOUR
T1 - The Association Between Exposure to COVID-19 and Mental Health Outcomes Among Healthcare Workers
AU - Czepiel, Diana
AU - Hoek, Hans W
AU - van der Markt, Afra
AU - Rutten, Bart P F
AU - Veling, Wim
AU - Schirmbeck, Frederike
AU - Mascayano, Franco
AU - Susser, Ezra S
AU - van der Ven, Els
N1 - Copyright © 2022 Czepiel, Hoek, van der Markt, Rutten, Veling, Schirmbeck, Mascayano, Susser and van der Ven.
PY - 2022/6/10
Y1 - 2022/6/10
N2 - Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems, there has been great interest in the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers. While most studies investigated mental health outcomes among frontline vs. non-frontline healthcare workers, little is known about the impact of various work-related variables. The present study aimed to examine the association between work-related [i.e., having contact with COVID-19 patients, being redeployed due to the pandemic and availability of sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)] and subjective (i.e., worries about getting infected or infecting others) exposures and self-reported mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Between February and May 2021, 994 healthcare workers employed at a variety of healthcare settings in the Netherlands filled out an online survey as part of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study. Mental health outcomes were measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5. Approximately 13% reported depressive symptoms, 37% experienced psychological distress, and 20% reported posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multilevel linear models consisted of three levels: individual (work-related and subjective exposures), healthcare center (aggregated redeployment and availability of sufficient PPE), and regional (cumulative COVID-19 infection and death rates). Worries about infection were associated with all three mental health outcomes, whereas insufficient PPE was associated with psychological distress and depressive symptoms. There were no differences in outcomes between healthcare centers or provinces with different COVID-19 infection and death rates. Our findings highlight the importance of adequate PPE provision and the subjective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors should be part of interventions aimed at mitigating adverse mental health outcomes among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AB - Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems, there has been great interest in the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers. While most studies investigated mental health outcomes among frontline vs. non-frontline healthcare workers, little is known about the impact of various work-related variables. The present study aimed to examine the association between work-related [i.e., having contact with COVID-19 patients, being redeployed due to the pandemic and availability of sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE)] and subjective (i.e., worries about getting infected or infecting others) exposures and self-reported mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological distress, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress symptoms). Between February and May 2021, 994 healthcare workers employed at a variety of healthcare settings in the Netherlands filled out an online survey as part of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study. Mental health outcomes were measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5. Approximately 13% reported depressive symptoms, 37% experienced psychological distress, and 20% reported posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multilevel linear models consisted of three levels: individual (work-related and subjective exposures), healthcare center (aggregated redeployment and availability of sufficient PPE), and regional (cumulative COVID-19 infection and death rates). Worries about infection were associated with all three mental health outcomes, whereas insufficient PPE was associated with psychological distress and depressive symptoms. There were no differences in outcomes between healthcare centers or provinces with different COVID-19 infection and death rates. Our findings highlight the importance of adequate PPE provision and the subjective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors should be part of interventions aimed at mitigating adverse mental health outcomes among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
KW - COVID-19
KW - COVID-19/epidemiology
KW - Health Personnel
KW - Humans
KW - Mental Health
KW - Outcome Assessment, Health Care
KW - Pandemics
KW - SARS-CoV-2
KW - depression
KW - healthcare workers (HCWs)
KW - personal protective equipment (PPE)
KW - posttraumatic stress
KW - psychological distress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133101830&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.896843
DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.896843
M3 - Article
C2 - 35757645
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 10
SP - 896843
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 896843
ER -
