Changes of the Employees’ Stress Level during Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Disadvantaged Hungarian Regions

Abstract

We have had to adopt to the situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in both private life and work. Besides uncertainty becoming general, our work and its environment have changed markedly in the last two years, also causing increased stress level. Our goal is to examine the changes of the employees’ mental health, stress level and well-being in a disadvantaged Hungarian region during three waves of the pandemic, and the sectors where mental strain has primarily occurred. Materials and methods: Over the background variables, we used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the WHO Well-being Index and the Hope Scale (AHS-H). The online questionnaire was recorded in November 2020, March 2021 and November 2021. In the study, we attached great importance to the stress level the employees working on different fields were exposed to in the pandemic situation. The quota online data recording is not representative, but it reflects the attitude of the region’s population well. Results: The questionnaire was fulfilled by 515 persons in the second, 527 persons in the third and 590 persons in the fourth wave, with the average age of 36.5±13.4 years. 9 employee categories and 7 labour market statuses were defined; health care workers were examined separately. The employees’ stress level reached its peak in the fourth wave (17.82; 17.63; 19.84). The highest values could be detected among employees with lower educational level (unskilled workers, householders, workmen). Examining the labour market status, public workers, temporary workers and pensioners showed higher stress values. Conclusion: The pandemic has significantly transformed our life. We must cope with increased stress and anxiety every day, and the relevance of the competencies has been revalued in this situation. The prolonged pandemic and the associated limitations have worn the employees’ mental health that reached its peak in the fourth pandemic wave.

Changes of Mental Status Characteristics Among Hungarian Adults in the Year Following Covid-19 Pandemic

“…During the study series, we monitored and followed the changes of the levels of stress, health anxiety, aggression, hope and mental well-being in the second, third, fourth and fifth waves of the pandemic. Our results have been reported in different national and international studies in which the population's mental health is shown to be below the average [4,11,12].…”

“…These factors together have caused the exacerbation of the population's stress reactions, and the initial acute stress has been transformed to chronic stress. As long-lasting stress of even mild intensity has an essential role in the development of both somatic and mental disorders and has effects on subjective health status, it is justified to monitor the severe and long-lasting stress reactions caused by the pandemic among the population [4,11,12]. However, it is also worth keeping in mind during studying the mental effects of the pandemic that people experience and evaluate the same experience or life situation in very different ways, and the response triggered by a certain stressor basically differs between the certain individuals and can even be completely opposite [13,14].…”