Cross-Sectional Survey of Opinions, Professional Changes, and Personal Hardships of COVID-19 on Chiropractors in the United States

Neff, Shawn M; Deyo, Rebecca L; Auley, Annabelle L Mac; Lawrence, Dana J.

doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2022.04.002

Cited by 1 publication

(5 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Compared to HCWs during the pandemic, the prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms were also lower in our study. Among chiropractors during the early phases of the pandemic in the US, 51%, and 30% reported moderate, and high stress levels, respectively [ 7 ]. Likewise, in a sample of physiotherapists in South Korea, 32% reported depressive symptoms, and 19% reported anxiety symptoms [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Manual therapists that were owners of businesses with economic consequences due to the pandemic had a significant higher prevalence of high psychological distress in our study compared to owners of businesses without economic consequences. Financial stress was also reported to be one of the largest contributors to psychological distress among US chiropractors during the early phases of the pandemic [ 7 ]. We found that participants residing in a municipality with a high spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection had higher psychological distress than participants residing in municipalities with low spread.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chiropractors and naprapaths are the two largest manual therapy professions in Sweden; treating, diagnosing, and rehabilitating common musculoskeletal pain disorders such as back- and neck pain and other conditions arising from the musculoskeletal system [ 5 , 6 ]. Many manual therapists are private practitioners with sole ownership of their practice or owners in a group practice [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other HCWs have previously expressed high levels of stress, worries, and anxiety of contracting infection transmitted from asymptomatic patients carrying SARS-CoV-2, or from patients having subclinical symptoms [ 10 ]. Occupational stress related to personal, and colleagues’ safety has also been reported among chiropractors amidst the pandemic [ 7 ]. The effects of psychosocial stressors related to the pandemic at large, such as limited interpersonal contact, isolation, fear, financial worry, ambiguous media, and news coverage as well as the inherent uncertainty regarding the pandemic’s duration may be associated with short- and long-term health consequences such as psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent cross-sectional study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic among chiropractors, 50% and 30% reported moderate and high levels of psychological distress, respectively [ 7 ]. In physiotherapists during the pandemic, 32% reported symptoms of anxiety, and 18.5% reported symptoms of depression [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain in manual therapists during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden: a cross-sectional study

Weiss,

Skillgate,

Axén

2023

Chiropr Man Therap

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Background The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented impact on healthcare, and the health of healthcare workers has been subject of much research. However, studies of health-related factors in manual therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic are scarce. Research in this field can provide valuable insights for future crises policy and guidelines, including in regions where the public health response to COVID-19 contrasts with that of most other international jurisdictions. The aim was to describe the prevalence of psychological distress and musculoskeletal pain, and to investigate factors potentially associated with high psychological distress and activity-limiting musculoskeletal pain in clinically active chiropractors and naprapaths during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. Methods A cross-sectional survey was distributed to a representative sample of Swedish manual therapists, between November 2020 and January 2021. High psychological distress and activity-limiting musculoskeletal pain were investigated regarding associations with residing in a municipality with a high spread of infection, a previous/ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infection, clinical interferences and economic consequences associated with the pandemic. Generalized Linear Models with log link and binomial distribution were used, computing prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results A total of 762 participants were included, representing 46% of the source population. The prevalence of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms was 17%, 7%, and 12%, respectively. Neck (50%), low back (46%), upper back (40%), and shoulders (39%) were the most prevalent musculoskeletal pain areas. Economic consequences due to the pandemic were associated with high psychological distress (PR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.48–3.53). Conclusions During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, manual therapists primarily suffered from musculoskeletal pain related to the back and shoulders, while depressive symptoms were the most common symptom of psychological distress. Owners of businesses that suffered economic consequences had a higher prevalence of high psychological distress, which may call for targeted support of this group in future similar contexts. Future longitudinal studies during the pandemic are warranted to assess these associations further.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%