Exploration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of home health care workers in Japan: a multicenter cross-sectional web-based survey

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has caused home health care workers (home-HCWs) to experience anxiety. The mental health of home-HCWs and related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been clarified; therefore, we aimed to investigate the status and associated factors of fear of COVID-19 infection, anxiety, and depression among home-HCWs in Japan. Methods We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional web-based anonymous survey of home-HCWs in August 2021, during the fifth wave of the pandemic in Japan. We surveyed members of facilities that provided home visit services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We measured the Japanese version of the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S-J) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) as objective variables, and the Japanese version of the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale-II (J-AITCS-II) as an explanatory variable. Results A total of 328 members of 37 facilities responded to the survey, and we ultimately analyzed 311 participants. The most frequent occupation was nurse (32.8%), followed by doctor (24.8%) and medical office staff (18.0%). The mean score of the FCV-19S-J was 16.5 ± 5.0 (7.0 – 31.0), and the prevalences of definitive anxiety and depression were 7.4% and 15.7%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the J-AITCS-II teamwork subscale was significantly negatively associated with FCV-19S-J, HADS-anxiety, and HADS-depression (β = -0.171, p = 0.004; β = -0.151, p = 0.012; β = -0.225, p < 0.001, respectively). Medical office staff showed significant positive associations with FCV-19S-J and HADS-depression (β = 0.219, p = 0.005; β = 0.201, p = 0.009, respectively), and medical social workers with HADS-anxiety and HADS-depression (β = -0.166, p = 0.011; β = -0.214, p < 0.001, respectively) compared with doctors. The unmet support need for expert lectures on COVID-19 was significantly positively associated with FCV-19S-J (β = 0.131, p = 0.048), and the unmet support need for support systems for psychological stress and emotional exhaustion was significantly positively associated with HADS-anxiety (β = 0.141, p = 0.022). Conclusions Fear of COVID-19 infection and depression of nurses, medical office staff, and other occupations was significantly higher than those of doctors. These findings suggest that non-physicians were more likely to be fearful and depressed during the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, it is necessary to tailor mental health support based on occupation in the home care setting.

Association of fear of COVID-19 and resilience with psychological distress among health care workers in hospitals responding to COVID-19: analysis of a cross-sectional study

“…The higher total FCV-19S scores for other occupations compared to doctors also support this finding. In addition, the results are consistent with reports that the fear of COVID-19 has a negative impact on the mental health of HCWs ( 36 ) and that the FCV-19S is higher among nurses and clerical workers ( 14 ).…”

“…It was found that females and younger participants seemed to experience more mental distress, however, no significant differences were found. Although many previous studies have reported that gender and age are associated with deteriorating mental health in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 4 , 10 ), a similar study of home-HCWs in Japan found no such association ( 14 ). It is unclear whether these associations differ from country to country or whether they are solely determined by the demographic characteristics of the population surveyed.…”

“…As in previous studies, mental health deteriorated among occupations other than doctors, such as nurses and clerks. According to previous studies, mental health has deteriorated in non-physician occupations in several countries ( 2 , 4 , 14 ). However, this association was lost in the present study, when FCV-19S was considered, while high FCV-19S levels were newly found to be associated with psychological distress.…”

“…Associations of various factors, such as marital status, cohabitation, social support, employment status, and job description, have also been reported ( 11 – 13 ). In terms of occupations, nurses and other professionals reported more mental health problems than doctors ( 4 , 14 ). Several studies in Japan have examined factors related to the mental health of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic from multiple perspectives.…”

Impact of individual factors and personality trait on psychological problems of family members living with staff of a COVID‐19 frontline hospital: A cross‐sectional self‐administered anonymous questionnaire survey

“…[17][18][19] The HADS has been validated in healthy populations, 20,21 and used in several previous studies that examined mental health problems among COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. 7,[22][23][24] Personality traits of participants were assessed by the Big Five personality traits, 25,26 and fear of COVID-19 was assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. 27,28 Statistics JMP Pro 14.0 was used for statistical calculation.…”