A Rapid Access Brief Psychotherapy Intervention to Respond to Healthcare Workers in Ontario Whose Mental Health was Negatively Impacted During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Une brève intervention de psychothérapie à accès rapide pour répondre aux travailleurs de la santé de l'Ontario dont la santé mentale a été affectée négativement pendant la pandémie de COVID-19

Abstract

Objective Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had widespread negative impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), there has been little research on psychological interventions during the pandemic for this population. The current study examines whether a brief coping-focused treatment intervention delivered in a virtual individual format would be associated with positive changes in Canadian HCWs’ mental health during the pandemic. Method Three hundred and thirty-three HCWs receiving the intervention at 3 large specialty tertiary care hospitals in Ontario, Canada, completed measures of anxiety, depression, perceived stress, work/social impairment, insomnia and fear of COVID-19. After completing treatment, HCWs rated their satisfaction with the treatment. Results The intervention was associated with large effect size improvements in anxiety, depression, perceived stress, insomnia and fear of COVID-19, and moderate effect size improvements in work/social impairment. At treatment session 1, prior mental health diagnosis and treatment were both significantly correlated with depression, anxiety, and work/social impairment scores. Secondary analyses of data from one of the sites revealed that treatment-related changes in anxiety, depression, perceived stress and work/social impairment were independent of age, gender, occupational setting, profession and the presence of a previous mental health diagnosis or treatment, with the exception that nurses improved at a slightly greater rate than other professions in terms of work/social impairment. HCWs were highly satisfied with the treatment. Conclusions A large number of HCWs experiencing significant distress at baseline self-referred for assistance. Timely and flexible access to a brief virtual coping-focused intervention was associated with improvements in symptoms and impairment, and treatment response was largely unrelated to demographic or professional characteristics. Short-term psychological interventions for HCWs during a pandemic may have a highly positive impact given their association with improvement in various aspects of HCWs’ mental health improvement.

Actualising the psychologist role in an academic health sciences centre: Reflections on the journey.

“…Early in the pandemic, we recognised the major toll on HCWs that led to a provincially coordinated effort to provide rapid mental health supports for them in five major health care institutions in Ontario, including SJHH. We demonstrated that rapid access to brief psychotherapy for HCWs negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and insomnia (Laposa et al, 2024). This research highlights how institutions can work together across a large geographical area to rapidly mobilise a mental health support system and provide effective care that greatly relieves the mental health distress experienced by HCWs working in a high-stress environment (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).…”