COVID-19 Anxiety and Wellbeing at Work in Finland during 2020–2022: A 5-Wave Longitudinal Survey Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted workers globally during 2020–2022 and it has had major psychological implications for workers’ wellbeing. This longitudinal study analyzed risk and protective factors predicting COVID-19 anxiety among workers in Finland. Longitudinal national sample of Finnish workers (n = 685) participated in a five-wave study conducted in 2020–2022, covering multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Our outcome measure was COVID-19 anxiety. Predictors were psychological distress, work exhaustion, technostress, and loneliness. Models also controlled for self-regulation; social support at work and remote working; and socio-demographic background factors. Both within-person and between-person effects were analyzed using multilevel hybrid regression models. COVID-19 anxiety varied between time points which is explained by changes in circumstances during the pandemic. Highest anxiety was expressed in the middle of the Delta variant surge and lockdown in spring 2021. Within-person changes in psychological distress, work exhaustion, technostress, self-regulation, and perceived loneliness were all associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Between-person results showed that distressed, exhausted, technostressed, and lonely workers expressed more anxiety than others. Remote workers reported higher anxiety over time than others. Those who had reported high self-regulation reported lower anxiety than others. Female gender and younger age were associated with higher anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety continues to be an important phenomenon with a magnitude of consequences on people and numerous industries. This study showed that general mental health and work stressors predict COVID-19 anxiety. Promoting social support and workers’ self-regulation skills can be beneficial for overcoming anxiety during and after the pandemic.

COVID-19 impacts in Northernmost Finland

“…Oksanen and colleagues [ 25 ] have found that remote work seemed to be a softer change for those who had already used it as part of their work. However, overall, people working remotely experienced more anxiety, and the most challenging time was in the middle of the pandemic in Finland [ 26 ] and employees who felt stress related to online environment, or had feelings of overwhelming or loneliness, experienced anxiety or concerns more. Specifically, being female or younger was connected to feelings of anxiety [ 11 , 26 ].…”

“…However, overall, people working remotely experienced more anxiety, and the most challenging time was in the middle of the pandemic in Finland [ 26 ] and employees who felt stress related to online environment, or had feelings of overwhelming or loneliness, experienced anxiety or concerns more. Specifically, being female or younger was connected to feelings of anxiety [ 11 , 26 ]. Perceived stress was found to be related to work ability, but also to a lack of ergonomics and support from the working organisation [ 27 ].…”

Patient-Reported Experiences of Persistent Post–COVID-19 Conditions After Hospital Discharge During the Second and Third Waves of the Pandemic in Switzerland: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

“…The study investigated the self-reported physical and mental health symptoms of SARS-CoV-2infected inpatients discharged home. Respondents were presented a list of health conditions whose presence or absence they reported [28][29][30][31]. These included: persistent weight loss, loss of sense of smell, loss of sense of taste, fever, cold, sore throat, sensations of burning or electricity in upper and lower limbs, persistent paresthesia in the hands or feet, a mobility disorder in one of the limbs, shortness of breath at rest and during daily activities, daily coughing, pain or discomfort in the chest area, hair loss, headaches, muscle aches, the need for home-care since leaving hospital, fatigue and other health conditions reported by the responder.…”

Stress and burnout in the context of workplace psychosocial factors among mental health professionals during the later waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary

“…These changes also connoted different working conditions for mental health workers, and congruently, altered personal perceptions and emotional reactions. Although COVID anxiety had significantly decreased, psychological distress, work exhaustion, perceived loneliness, and social support indicators did not change substantially ( 8 ).…”