The Impact of COVID-19-Related Work Stress on the Mental Health of Primary Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Social Support and Resilience

We aimed to provide an overview of how work environment and occupational health are affected, and describe interventions designed to improve the work environment during epidemics and pandemics. The guidelines on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) were followed. The databases Cinahl, Medline, PsycInfo, and Web of Science were searched for population: working population; exposure: coronavirus epidemic or pandemic; and outcome: work environment, in articles published until October 2020. Quality assessment was based on a modified version of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). After deduplication 3711 articles remained, of which 530 were selected for full-text screening and 119 for quality assessment. After the exclusion of studies that were low quality, 95 remained, of which 85 focused on healthcare personnel and 10 on employees in other industries; 73 used quantitative methods and 22 used qualitative or mixed methods; the majority were based on cross-sectional data. Healthcare staff experienced increased job demands, poor leadership, and lack of resources (personal protective equipment, personnel, and competence). High demands and work with infected patients were associated with negative mental health outcomes. There was a lack of studies assessing interventions, studies from industries other than healthcare, and studies of high quality.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

The Work Environment during Coronavirus Epidemics and Pandemics: A Systematic Review of Studies Using Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed-Methods Designs

Nyberg

Rajaleid

2022

“…In addition, this study showed that social support indirectly influenced depression and anxiety through mediation of resilience; therefore, hypothesis H4 was supported. Consistent with our results, previous studies have reported that resilience mediates the association between social support and mental health [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…The mediation effect of resilience on the relationship between social support and subjective well-being has been reported among individuals with spinal cord injuries [ 30 ]. Moreover, a sequential mediating effect of social support and resilience on the association between COVID-19-related work stress and mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety, has been reported [ 34 ]. Therefore, the association between COVID-19-related stress and mental health outcomes could be mediated by social support and resilience among young adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediating Effects of Social Support and Resilience on the Association between COVID-19-Related Stress and Mental Health in Korean Young Adults

Noh

Park

2022

Young adults were vulnerable to mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the underlying pathway by which COVID-19-related stress influences mental health outcomes among young adults remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of social support and resilience between COVID-19-related stress and mental health outcomes. A sample of 1000 Korean young adults was obtained via online survey. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing COVID-19-related stress, social support, resilience, depression, and anxiety. Overall, 48.1% and 23.4% of participants were classified as having depression and anxiety states, respectively. Path analysis using AMOS version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) showed that the direct effects of stress from social distancing difficulties on depression and anxiety were much greater than those of stress from fear of infection and anger toward others. In addition, there were significant indirect effects of social support and resilience in the relationship between stress related to difficulties due to social distancing and mental health outcomes. The mediating roles of social support and resilience suggest that interventions to increase these factors can be effective strategies to reduce the risks of depression and anxiety among young adults suffering from stress related to social distancing difficulties.

“…For example, in a study conducted in China in July 2019, high scores of overcommitment and imbalance between effort and reward were associated with exhaustion, but not with professional efficiency, in HCW [ 27 ]. During the pandemic, overcommitment and a high imbalance in effort–reward were associated with insomnia [ 28 ], anxiety and depression [ 15 , 29 ], all of them reducing the effectiveness and efficiency of the medical services. Even more, one fifth of people affected by exhaustion will change their job in the following years [ 30 ], creating additional problems for the healthcare system in the near future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relation between the fear of infection and transmission of the virus to others, exhaustion and burnout was assessed in different studies all around the globe [ 40 , 44 , 45 ]. It seems that, in some circumstances, pandemic fatigue was present also in medical institutions, with more unprotected exposure to COVID-19 in the third compared to the second wave [ 29 ]. The slHCW group was more critical about the risk management efficacy; there was a relation in the univariate analysis with the exhaustion score, but in the final adjusted model, this influence became non-significant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exhaustion in Healthcare Workers after the First Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Oțelea

Rașcu

Staicu³

et al. 2022

This study aims to identify the determinants of exhaustion of frontline and second-line healthcare workers (HCW) during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A case–control study was conducted based on an anonymously distributed questionnaire, which was completed by 1872 HCW. Exhaustion was assessed with a validated Romanian questionnaire. The Siegrist questionnaire was used to determine workload, reward and overcommitment. Frontline HCW reported significantly more frequent longer working hours (p = 0.0009) and a better perception of the management of the risk for infection (p = 0.0002) than second-line HCW. The effort and overcommitment scores were higher in frontline HCW (9.51 + 1.98 vs. 8.45 + 21, p < 0.001 and 16.34 ± 2.80 vs. 15.24 ± 2.94, p < 0.001, respectively) and the reward scores were lower (5.21 ± 1.522 vs. 5.99 ± 1.44, p < 0.001). In the fully adjusted regression model, age, imbalance between effort and reward, overcommitment and management of the risk of infection in the workplace were associated with the exhaustion score in each category of HCW. The number of working hours was correlated with exhaustion in frontline HCW and occupation in second-line HCW. There were more similarities than differences between frontline and second-line HCW. Even if frontline HCW had a higher risk of exhaustion, the risk was not negligible for all HCW.