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Stress, Resilience, and Coping of Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
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Objective To estimate the health care workers (HCWs) self-reported stress, resilience, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine inter-professional differences. Participants and Methods An email survey was sent to 474 HCW at a Midwestern HealthCare facility between April 9, 2020 and April 30, 2020. A total of 311 (65.6%) responses were received by May 31, 2020. The survey utilized 3 validated instruments: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Brief Resilience Coping Scale (BRCS). Results Of the 311 responses, 302 were evaluated: 97 from nonmedical staff with patient contact (NMPC); 86 from nonmedical staff with no patient contact (NMNPC); 62 from medical doctors (MD), physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP); and 57 from nurses. Significant differences were noted across job categories for stress and resilience, with nurses reporting highest PSS scores (effect estimates: −2.72, P = .009 for NMNPC; −2.50, P = .015 for NMPC; −3.21, P = .006 for MD/NP/PA respectively), and MD/NP/PA group with highest BRS scores: nurses (−0.31, P = .02); NMPC (−0.3333, P = .01); and NMNPC (−0.2828, P = .02). Younger personnel had higher stress (−1.59 per decade of age, P < .01) and more resilience (0.11 per decade of age, P = .002). Conclusion These self-reported data indicate that MD/NP/PA had the highest resilience scores and the nurses had highest stress levels. Efforts are warranted to include all HCWs in systematic stress mitigating interventions with particular attention to understand specific factors contributing to stress for the nursing team.
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Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
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Caring for the Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic-Original Research
Introduction
On December 31, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health
Commission in China reported a cluster of cases of pneu-
monia.1 This was later identified as a SARS-CoV-2, coro-
navirus.1 On March 11, 2020, the virus, SARS-CoV-2, was
declared the COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO.2
During this evolving world-wide health care crisis and des-
perate time of need, the overwhelming burden of illness and
mortality has threatened operations of health care institutions
worldwide and the physical, emotional, and financial health
of their HCW. HCWs must grapple with fears of infection,
death, and the risk of COVID-19 transmission to their fami-
lies, as well as post-traumatic stress and other mental, physi-
cal, emotional, and spiritual concerns.3 To quote Greenberg
et al., “We have placed our healthcare professionals in an
impossible situation of having to make life and death deci-
sions while working under extreme pressure.”4
Resilience refers to one’s ability to bounce back from
adversity and view adversity as an opportunity for growth;
it is an increasingly recognized protective factor against
stress.5,6 Resilience among HCWs is influenced by multiple
factors at the individual, organizational, and societal
levels.7-10 It is imperative to address issues at the organiza-
tional level, including robust structural interventions within
1008448JPCXXX10.1177/21501327211008448Journal of Primary Care & Community HealthCroghan et al
research-article2021
1Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
Corresponding Author:
Ivana T. Croghan, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester,
MN 55905, USA.
Email: croghan.ivana@mayo.edu
Stress, Resilience, and Coping of
Healthcare Workers during
the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ivana T. Croghan1, Sherry S. Chesak1, Jayanth Adusumalli1,
Karen M. Fischer1, Elizabeth W. Beck1, Shruti R. Patel1,
Karthik Ghosh1, Darrell R. Schroeder1, and Anjali Bhagra1
Abstract
Objective: To estimate the health care workers (HCWs) self-reported stress, resilience, and coping during the COVID-19
pandemic, and to determine inter-professional differences. Participants and Methods: An email survey was sent to 474
HCW at a Midwestern HealthCare facility between April 9, 2020 and April 30, 2020. A total of 311 (65.6%) responses
were received by May 31, 2020. The survey utilized 3 validated instruments: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Brief Resilience
Scale (BRS), Brief Resilience Coping Scale (BRCS). Results: Of the 311 responses, 302 were evaluated: 97 from nonmedical
staff with patient contact (NMPC); 86 from nonmedical staff with no patient contact (NMNPC); 62 from medical doctors
(MD), physician assistants (PA) and nurse practitioners (NP); and 57 from nurses. Significant differences were noted across
job categories for stress and resilience, with nurses reporting highest PSS scores (effect estimates: −2.72, P = .009 for
NMNPC; −2.50, P = .015 for NMPC; −3.21, P = .006 for MD/NP/PA respectively), and MD/NP/PA group with highest BRS
scores: nurses (−0.31, P = .02); NMPC (−0.3333, P = .01); and NMNPC (−0.2828, P = .02). Younger personnel had higher
stress (−1.59 per decade of age, P < .01) and more resilience (0.11 per decade of age, P = .002). Conclusion: These self-
reported data indicate that MD/NP/PA had the highest resilience scores and the nurses had highest stress levels. Efforts
are warranted to include all HCWs in systematic stress mitigating interventions with particular attention to understand
specific factors contributing to stress for the nursing team.
Keywords
pandemic, stress, resilience, healthcare, SARS, provider
Dates received 17 March 2021; revised 17 March 2021; accepted 18 March 2021.
2 Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
the work environment.7 It is also essential to identify indi-
vidual factors that contribute to resilience in order to inform
best practices for empowering HCWs to cope and optimize
their well-being, especially during adversity. Prior research
has identified a direct relationship between non-productive
coping and stress, burnout, and other well-being measures,
among HCWs.11 Recent studies during the COVID-19 pan-
demic have indicated direct relationships between pandemic-
related stress, anxiety and resilience among physicians in
Israel.12,13 The purpose of our project was to assess the level
of stress, resilience and ability to cope among HCWs at a
tertiary care academic medical center during the initial stages
of the pandemic, utilizing validated assessment scales, and to
determine inter-professional differences.
Methods
This survey, intended for practice-improvement was com-
pleted by general internal medicine colleagues within 1
health care institution in the midwestern United States, dur-
ing the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was reviewed and
approved by the General Internal Medicine Leadership and
the Institutional COVID-19 taskforce.
Study Population and Survey Methods
Participants included a convenience sample of staff within
the General Internal Medicine division, including medical
doctors (MD), nurses (RNs, LPNs), nurse practitioners
(NP), physician’s assistants (PA), administrative assistants
(AA), as well as other division staff.
Participants received information regarding the general
purpose of the project and contact information for ques-
tions/complaints. This voluntary and anonymous survey
was sent as a link through an email. The initial email went
out on April 9, 2020; non-responders received reminder
emails on April 16, 2020, April 23, 2020, and April 30,
2020. Study collection was closed on May 31, 2020. A
detailed summary of the above is found in the consort dia-
gram presented in Figure 1, which adheres to Consolidated
Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines.14
All surveys were delivered as a link via email through the
use of REDCap.15 There was no compensation offered for
participation.
Survey Instruments
This survey was developed utilizing Research Electronic
Data Capture (REDCap)15 and consisted of validated scales
measuring resilience (Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)),16 cop-
ing (Brief Resilience Coping Scale (BRCS)),17 and stress
(Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)),18 Other measures which
were included in the survey, will be reported elsewhere.
Many questions had Likert scale responses such as “strongly
agree,” “agree,” “neutral,” “disagree,” and “strongly dis-
agree.” The total number of questions ranged from 44 to
54 depending on how respondents answered individual
questions with branching logic. The 5 overarching compo-
nents of the survey were: (1) Current task burden (direct
patient contact or no patient contact); (2) stress (PSS); (3)
resilience (BRS); (4) coping (BRCS); (5) socio-demo-
graphic characteristics.
Pilot testing of the survey was conducted with 4 rounds
amongst 7 clinicians, nurses, and nonmedical staff to assess
the acceptability, readability, and understandability of the
survey. The resulting survey took 5 to 7 min to complete.
Data Analysis
For the purposes of this analysis, respondents were divided
into 4 groups according to their current job description: (1)
MD/PA/NP; (2) nurses; (3) non-medical health staff with
patient contact (NMPC) and (4) non-medical staff with no
patient contact (NMNPC).
Descriptive characteristics for the respondents were
reported using frequencies and percentages for each
group. For each of the 3 surveys (PSS, BRS, BRCS) a
multiple linear regression model was used to compare the
groups. Age and sex were adjusted for each model. Age
was collected in the survey as a range of values, but for
the purposes of the model was coded as a 10-year con-
tinuous variable. P-values of <.05 were considered sta-
tistically significant and 95% confidence intervals were
reported with all point estimates. SAS statistical software
(SAS version 9.4, SAS Institute Inc.)19 was used for all
analysis.
Results
Of the 474 surveys sent, a total of 311 (65.6%) responses
were received. Among the 311 survey responses, 302 were
evaluated. The 8 excluded from analysis did not self-iden-
tify their job role/title. Among the 302 responses included
in the analysis, 86 were from NMNPC, 97 from NMPC, 62
from MD/PA/NP, and 57 from nurses.
Descriptive characteristics are reported in Table 1. A
majority of those who responded were white (90%) and
female (85%). A large portion of respondents (32%) had
worked in the health care field for over 25 years. Overall,
only 15% of the respondents were male, and for the nursing
group only 4% were male. The MD/PA/NP group had the
highest percentage of participants over the age of 60 (24%).
A total of 129 (43%) respondents identified as caregivers
outside of their job.
A higher score on the PSS survey indicates a higher
level of perceived stress. Compared to the nursing group,
all of the groups had significantly lesser perceived stress
(Table 2, Figure 2a) with the MD/NP/PA group having the
Croghan et al 3
Figure 1. Consort diagram.
4 Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
largest difference from the nursing group. Age was also
significantly (P < .001) related to PSS, with an average
decrease of 1.59 points for every decade increase in age.
Just as PSS, a higher BRS score indicates a higher level
of resilience. With the nurse group as the reference group,
only the MD/NP/PA group was noted to have significantly
higher resilience scores. When the MD/NP/PA group is
used as the reference, the MD/NP/PA group was found to
have higher BRS scores than nurses (−0.31, P = .02); non-
medical staff with patient contact (−0.3333, P = .01); and
Table 1. Participant Characteristics.
Allied health: no patient
contact (N = 86)
Allied health: patient
contact (N = 97)
MD/NP/PA
(N = 62)
Nurse
(N = 57)
Total
(N = 302)
Age range, n (%)
30 years or lower 14 (16.3) 17 (17.7) 2 (3.2) 3 (5.3) 36 (12.0)
31-40 years 22 (25.6) 26 (27.1) 20 (32.3) 11 (19.3) 79 (26.2)
41-50 years 26 (30.2) 20 (20.8) 10 (16.1) 16 (28.1) 72 (23.9)
51-60 years 17 (19.8) 25 (26.0) 14 (22.6) 20 (35.1) 76 (25.2)
60 years or higher 6 (7.0) 8 (8.3) 15 (24.2) 7 (12.3) 36 (12.0)
I do not wish to answer 1 (1.2) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.6) 0 (0.0) 2 (0.7)
Missing 0 1 0 0 1
Gender, n (%)
Female 76 (89.4) 83 (87.4) 39 (63.9) 54 (96.4) 252 (84.8)
Male 9 (10.6) 12 (12.6) 21 (34.4) 2 (3.6) 44 (14.8)
I do not wish to answer 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.6) 0 (0.0) 1 (0.3)
Missing 1 2 1 1 5
Race, n (%)
White 82 (95.3) 90 (92.8) 45 (72.6) 55 (96.5) 272 (90.1)
Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin 1 (1.2) 4 (4.1) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 5 (1.7)
Black or African American 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 4 (6.5) 2 (3.5) 6 (2.0)
Asian 2 (2.3) 3 (3.1) 9 (14.5) 1 (1.8) 15 (5.0)
American Indian or Alaskan Native 1 (1.2) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (0.3)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 1 (1.6) 0 (0.0) 1 (0.3)
Other 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (3.2) 0 (0.0) 2 (0.7)
Do not wish to answer 0 (0.0) 1 (1.0) 3 (4.8) 0 (0.0) 4 (1.3)
How many years have you worked in health
care (in any capacity and also including
employment outside of Mayo)? n (%)
5 years or less 25 (29.4) 24 (24.7) 6 (9.7) 1 (1.8) 56 (18.6)
5-9 years 12 (14.1) 16 (16.5) 7 (11.3) 5 (8.8) 40 (13.3)
10-14 years 8 (9.4) 12 (12.4) 12 (19.4) 4 (7.0) 36 (12.0)
15-19 years 7 (8.2) 12 (12.4) 5 (8.1) 8 (14.0) 32 (10.6)
20-24 years 13 (15.3) 10 (10.3) 6 (9.7) 12 (21.1) 41 (13.6)
25 years or more 20 (23.5) 23 (23.7) 26 (41.9) 27 (47.4) 96 (31.9)
Missing 1 0 0 0 1
Has your sleep been adversely affected
during this pandemic? n (%)
No 50 (58.1) 41 (42.7) 42 (67.7) 23 (40.4) 156 (51.8)
Yes 36 (41.9) 55 (57.3) 20 (32.3) 34 (59.6) 145 (48.2)
Missing 0 1 0 0 1
Did you participate in any stress
management activity or skill on a regular
basis prior to the pandemic? n (%)
No 46 (54.8) 46 (47.9) 22 (35.5) 24 (42.1) 138 (46.2)
Yes 38 (45.2) 50 (52.1) 40 (64.5) 33 (57.9) 161 (53.8)
Missing 2 1 0 0 3
Croghan et al 5
nonmedical staff with no patient contact (−0.2828, P = .02).
Age also significantly correlated to the overall BRS score,
with older age associated with higher resilience (0.11 per
decade of age; P = .002) (Table 2, Figure 2b).
For the BRCS survey, a higher score indicates that the
respondent is more likely to cope effectively. For this out-
come, no significant differences were detected before and
after adjusting for sex and age (Table 2, Figure 2c).
Table 2. Multiple Linear Regression Models.
PSS model (N = 281) BRS model (N = 290) BRCS model (N = 292)
Point estimate
(95% CI)
P-
value
Point estimate
(95% CI)
P-
value
Point estimate
(95% CI)
P-
value
Intercept 23.21 3.37 15.28
Allied health: no patient contact −2.72 (−4.77, −0.67) .009 0.02 (−0.21, 0.25) .86 −0.50 (−1.34, 0.33) .23
Allied health: patient contact −2.50 (−4.50, −0.50) .01 −0.02 (−0.25, 0.21) .85 0.15 (−0.66, 0.96) .72
MD/NP/PA −3.21 (−5.50, −0.92) .006 0.31 (0.05, 0.57) .02 0.30 (−0.62, 1.22) .52
Nurse Ref Ref Ref
Female 1.04 (−0.98, 3.07) .31 −0.17 (−0.40, 0.06) .15 −0.41 (−1.23, 0.41) .32
Male Ref Ref Ref
Age (Unit = 10 years) −1.59 (−2.17, −1.01) <.001 0.11 (0.04, 0.17) .002 0.02 (−0.22, 0.25) .90
Figure 2. (a) Boxplot of PSS scores by job category, (b) Boxplot of BRS scores by job category, and (c) Boxplot of BRCS scores by
job category.
6 Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
Discussion
This survey in the initial stages of the pandemic was focused
on self-perceptions of stress, resilience, and coping. The
results indicate that while stress was rife across differing
HCW, there were inter-professional differences and, in our
case, nurses reported higher stress and lower resilience
compared to the other job categories.
Pandemics highlight the emotional and occupational
vulnerabilities of health care professionals.20 A recent
review of 14 COVID-19 related studies (N = 37-1257)21
confirmed an extensive strain on HCWs due to stress,
depression and anxiety. The severity of these mental issues
was influenced by age, gender, occupation, specialization,
type of activities performed and proximity to the COVID-
19 patient.21 This corroborates with our survey results and
demonstrates a heightened need for organizational and indi-
vidual strategies for stress management, enhancing resil-
ience, peer support for coping and self-care among HCWs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed HCW in unten-
able stress while balancing the risk to themselves and oth-
ers.4 Stress, which may be caused by physical, mental or
emotional factors22 has both physical and psychological
consequences, including increased allostatic load, fatigue,
inattentiveness, mood disorders, addiction issues, job-
related injuries, and absenteeism.9,23,24 Add to this the idea
of moral injury, which is defined as “the psychological
distress that results from actions or lack of them, which
violate someone’s moral or ethical code.”25 Individuals
who experience moral injury may develop depression,
post-traumatic stress and suicidal ideation.26 Not only are
HCWs placed in a situation of personal moral injury by
being in the frontline during this COVID-19 pandemic27
but the societal burden of constant updates on death and
infection, the misinformation, the added issues of protests,
the divide over taking protective steps by the people at
large, the shortage of medical and testing supplies, and the
call to make decisions on life and death due to these short-
ages, has increased personal stress.
Overall, HCWs reported moderate-high self-reported
stress scores in our survey (average PSS = 17.1), normal
range for resilience (average BRS = 3.6) and normal range
for resilience coping (average BRSC = 14.9). Further, the
stress among nurses was significantly higher than that of
MD/PA/NP group. Nurses also reported lower levels of
resilience than the MD/PA/NP group, as well as inadequate
stress management skills (prior to COVID19 pandemic)
(64.25% vs 57.9%, physicians vs nurses respectively, Table
1). As in prior studies, our findings highlight the effects of
how the psychosocial impact on HCW can differ by the
occupation and perception of risk.28 Similar findings were
identified in previous studies in China. In one such study
both the incidence and levels of anxiety were significantly
higher amongst nurses in comparison to doctors,29 and in
another study, while HCWs reported low levels of stress
overall; nurses reported higher levels of stress than doc-
tors.30 There is limited research regarding nurses’ levels of
resilience during the pandemic; however, 1 study demon-
strated that nurses’ low personal resilience predicted
COVID-19 anxiety.31
A 2003 study within the Toronto health care system,
which examined the emotional distress impact of the SARS
outbreak on the HCWs, confirmed that 29% of all respond-
ers showed emotional distress. Similar to our observed
inter-professional differences, in this survey, 4 factors asso-
ciated with emotional distress included: (1) being a nurse;
(2) part-time employment status; (3) lifestyle being affected;
(4) ability to do one’s job affected by the precautionary
measures.28 Finally, a 1-time cross-sectional survey during
the COVID-19 pandemic conducted in China during peak
months (January-Feb 2020) showed that among responders
(1257/1830; 69%) 50% expressed depression, 44.6%
expressed anxiety; 34% insomnia; and 71.5% distress.32
These scores were modified by job type (nurses > physi-
cians); sex (females > males); patient care (frontline > no
direct patient care); location (Wuhan (pandemic hot
spot) > outside of Wuhan); and finally years of experience
(junior nurses > more experienced nurses).32
Nurses have been described as the backbone of the health
system and outbreak responses.33 Although the stressors are
higher among physicians and nurses who are frontline
(direct patient care) compared to others, it is understandable
that nurses experience greater stress due to the nature of
their work responsibilities which involve spending more
time delivering direct patient care, and providing direct
social and emotional support to patients whose families are
barred from visiting.34 Further understanding of specific
factors contributing to the stress for nurses is important so
that stress reduction approaches can be appropriately imple-
mented for this population.
With regard to age differences and resilience, our find-
ings indicated that older age was associated with higher
resilience. Previous research has indicated that there is
some evidence to support the premise that resilience
increases with age.35 Rational for this has not been well-
studied; however, there is speculation that the improved
resilience among older individuals could be contributed to
the exposure to more adversity throughout their lifetime
(and thus the development of strategies to overcome
adversity),35 and the tendency of older individuals to
invest more time and energy in their health and family.36
There is a lack of evidence regarding differences in resil-
ience levels among HCWs according to age, thus this
would warrant further research.
As with most studies, our study had limitations which
included this being a 1-time cross-sectional survey of all
individuals within 1 division (General Internal Medicine) at
1 institution. An additional limitation was the lack of
Croghan et al 7
diversity, with the majority of participants being white
females. The survey was delivered during the initial stage of
the pandemic, wherein the staff was experiencing signifi-
cant change: social distancing, mask wearing, cancellation
of routing patient practices, conversion to virtual care, can-
cellation of time away and work related/ other travel, reduc-
tion of salaries and furloughs; creating economic uncertainty,
all while the media was ripe with misinformation. It would
have been ideal to deliver this survey and track outcomes at
serial time points during the pandemic. This, however, was
not feasible due to the decision to minimize survey burden
and keep it anonymous and de-identified.
Informed by the staff and this survey, the General Internal
Medicine divisional leadership took numerous proactive
steps to support colleagues and mitigate the evolving impact
of pandemic-induced stress across all HCWs. The leadership
stepped up the communication across multidisciplinary
teams with daily and weekly web-based meetings that
focused on disseminating accurate and updated information
related to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was timely dis-
semination of institutional initiatives and solutions to address
emerging work-related issues, establishment of work teams
addressing safety, creation of financial aid fund through the
divisional social committee for staff members in need,
updating of wellness websites, creation of videos and other
resources for coping and resilience in addition to augmenta-
tion of opportunities for active peer support and stress man-
agement through uptake of existing programs (HELP:
healing emotional lives of peers and SMART: stress man-
agement and resilience training) as well as virtual town halls
to increase connection. There were more frequent check-ins
across institutional and departmental administration.
Conclusion
These self-reported data indicate that while HCWs reported
moderate-high stress scores, and normal levels of resilience
and coping, the MD/NP/PA group had the highest resilience,
while nurses had the lowest. In addition to lower resilience,
nurses also had higher stress levels compared to the MD/PA/
NP group. It is imperative to have robust strategies and tac-
tics in place for early identification and mitigation of distress
across job categories within health care and help enhance
resilience and coping among all HCWs, with particular
attention to nurses and nonmedical staff. In addition, inter-
ventions should be implemented at the individual, organiza-
tional, and societal level in order to order to address the
multifactorial factors of HCW stress, resilience and coping.
Abbreviations
AA—Administrative Assistants
BRCS—brief resilience coping scale
BRS—brief resilience scale
CONSORT—Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials
HCW—healthcare worker
MD—medical doctor
NP—nurse practitioner
REDCap—Research Electronic Data Capture
RN—Registered Nurse
LPN—Licensed Practical Nurse
PA—physician assistant
PSS—perceived stress scale
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to all the survey participants. Without their par-
ticipation, this practice improvement project would not have
been possible.
Author Contributions
All the authors participated in the study concept and design,
analysis and interpretation of data, drafting and revising the
paper, and have seen and approved the final version of the
manuscript.
ITC and AB conceived of the study concept and design and
provided administrative, technical, and material support; had
full oversight of the study conduct during data collection.
They take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the
accuracy of the data analysis; and together they drafted the
manuscript and participated in critical revision of the manu-
script for important intellectual content.
ITC, SSC, EWB, SRP, KG, JA, KMF, DRS, and AB
participated in the study design, review and editing of the
protocol and data collection and participated in the review
and interpretation of study results, and critical revision of the
manuscript for important intellectual content.
KF & DRS participated in the study design and were
responsible for data quality checks and data analysis; they
also had full access to all the data in the study and take full
responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy
of the data analysis as well as participating in the manu-
script reviews and edits.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with
respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial sup-
port for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article: This practice improvement project was supported in
part by Mayo Clinic General Internal Medicine. The data entry
system used was RedCap, supported in part by the Center for
Clinical and Translational Science award (UL1 TR000135)
from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
(NCATS).
Ethics and Consent to Participate
This was a practice improvement project. As such, it did not qual-
ify for Institutional Review Board approval. It was reviewed and
8 Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
approved by the Mayo Clinic General Internal Medicine
Leadership and Practice Committee, as well as the Mayo Clinic
COVID-19 Taskforce.
Ethical Standards
This was a practice improvement project, which was reviewed and
approved by the Mayo Clinic General Internal Medicine
Leadership and Practice Committee, as well as the Mayo Clinic
COVID19 Taskforce. All authors assert that all procedures con-
tributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the
Mayo Clinic.
ORCID iD
Ivana T. Croghan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3464-3525
Availability of Data and Materials
All data supporting the study findings are contained within this
manuscript
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... Multiple studies have investigated stress in HCW utilizing questionnaires, alone or in combination with salivary or hair cortisol/cortisone concentrations, during the COVID-19 pandemic [5,[20][21][22][23][24][25]. Because of these important physiological roles of endocannabinoids and endocannabinoid-like compounds in the stress response, in this study we attempted to verify their role relative to the stress impact of the pandemic on HCW. ...
... As we hypothesized, the individual mean stress level in the cohort was higher at the beginning of the pandemic than at the end of the first wave, as was confirmed in other studies in comparable settings [32]. Croghan et al. [21] reported a higher stress level and a lower resilience in nurses than other job categories, including medical doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. In our study, we did not identify a significant difference between the subjective stress-level among the different occupation groups. ...
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The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 impacted health systems globally, creating increased workload and mental stress upon health care workers (HCW). During the first pandemic wave (March to May 2020) in southern Germany, we investigated the impact of stress and the resilience to stress in HCW by measuring changes in hair concentrations of endocannabinoids, endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone. HCW ( n = 178) recruited from multiple occupation and worksites in the LMU-University-Hospital in Munich were interviewed at four interval visits to evaluate mental stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. A strand of hair of up to 6 cm in length was sampled once in May 2020, which enabled retrospective individual stress hormone quantifications during that aforementioned time period. Perceived anxiety and impact on mental health were demonstrated to be higher at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and decreased significantly thereafter. Resilience was stable over time, but noted to be lower in women than in men. The concentrations of the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA) and the structural congeners N-palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), N-oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and N-stearoylethanolamide (SEA) were noted to have decreased significantly over the course of the pandemic. In contrast, the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) levels increased significantly and were found to be higher in nurses, laboratory staff and hospital administration than in physicians. PEA was significantly higher in subjects with a higher resilience but lower in subjects with anxiety. SEA was also noted to be reduced in subjects with anxiety. Nurses had significantly higher cortisone levels than physicians, while female subjects had significant lower cortisone levels than males. Hair samples provided temporal and measurable objective psychophysiological-hormonal information. The hair endocannabinoids/endocannabinoid-like compounds and cortisone correlated to each other and to professions, age and sex quite differentially, relative to specific periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.
... Notably, preceding and during the pandemic crisis, studies consistently demonstrate lower BRS scores in females compared to males [105,106,107]. Within the nursing community during the pandemic, gender has also emerged as a determinant of resilience, with females exhibiting lower resilience values than their male counterparts [108]. This heightened vulnerability is predominantly attributed to cultural factors, with women often navigating the delicate balance between professional responsibilities and increased family demands [108]. ...
... Within the nursing community during the pandemic, gender has also emerged as a determinant of resilience, with females exhibiting lower resilience values than their male counterparts [108]. This heightened vulnerability is predominantly attributed to cultural factors, with women often navigating the delicate balance between professional responsibilities and increased family demands [108]. ...
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Introduction The pandemic has led to notable psychological challenges among healthcare professionals, including nurses. Objective Our aims of this study were to assess insomnia and nightmare distress levels in nurses and investigate their association with mental resilience. Methods Nurses participated in an online survey, which included the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Demographic information, such as age, professional experience and gender, was also collected. Results The study included 355 female and 78 male nurses. Findings revealed that 61.4% had abnormal AIS scores, 7% had abnormal NDQ scores and 25.4% had low BRS scores. Female nurses had higher AIS and NDQ scores but lower BRS scores compared to males. BRS demonstrated negative correlations with both AIS and NDQ. Multiple regression analysis indicated that NDQ accounted for 24% of the AIS variance, with an additional 6.5% explained by the BRS. BRS acted as a mediator, attenuating the impact of nightmares on insomnia, with gender moderating this relationship. Conclusions Nursing staff experienced heightened sleep disturbances during the pandemic, with nightmares and insomnia being prevalent. Nightmares significantly contributed to insomnia, but mental resilience played a vital role in mitigating this effect. Strategies are warranted to address the pandemic's psychological impact on nursing professionals.
... In another study conducted to determine vocational stress, evaluate the mediating effect of burnout, and verify the regulatory effect of excessive devotion between vocational stress and psychological health among Chinese nurses, it was determined that surgery room nurses had high levels of vocational stress and burnout played a mediating role between vocational stress and organizational loyalty (22). Croghan et al. (2020) reported that nurses had high levels of stress and low levels of psychological resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic (57). ...
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Z Aim: In this study, the mediating role of "Epidemic anxiety" in the relationship between "Psychological resilience" and "Burnout" in operating room nurses was investigated. Material and Methods: The population of the study comprised the nurses working in the operating rooms of the medical faculties and state hospitals and training and research hospitals of Turkey. Snowball sampling method was used. The study was conducted with 307 operating room nurses. The "Utkan Epidemic Anxiety Scale", "Brief Resilience Scale", and "Burnout Measure " were employed as data collection tools. Results: The findings revealed that "epidemic anxiety" exerted an indirect and significant effect on "burnout", thereby playing a mediating role in the relationship between "psychological resilience"an-d"burnout". Conclusions: According to the findings, the nurses with a high level of "psychological resilience" had lower levels of "epidemic anxiet-y"and"burnout". In contrast, the positive effect of "psychological resilience" on "burnout" decreased when considering "psychologi-cal resilience" and"epidemic anxiety" together.
... The healthcare team experienced significant stress and uncertainty, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is consistent with previous research that has shown that the unprecedented nature of the pandemic led to challenging working conditions, limited resources, lack of information, and concerns about infecting loved ones [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44]. The collective global impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems is likely a contributing factor to these stressors [45][46][47][48]. ...
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Background Resilience, in the field of Resilience Engineering, has been identified as the ability to maintain the safety and the performance of healthcare systems and is aligned with the resilience potentials of anticipation, monitoring, adaptation, and learning. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the resilience of US healthcare systems due to the lack of equipment, supply interruptions, and a shortage of personnel. The purpose of this qualitative research was to describe resilience in the healthcare team during the COVID-19 pandemic with the healthcare team situated as a cognizant, singular source of knowledge and defined by its collective identity, purpose, competence, and actions, versus the resilience of an individual or an organization. Methods We developed a descriptive model which considered the healthcare team as a unified cognizant entity within a system designed for safe patient care. This model combined elements from the Patient Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) and the Advanced Team Decision Making (ADTM) models. Using a qualitative descriptive design and guided by our adapted model, we conducted individual interviews with healthcare team members across the United States. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and extracted codes were organized within the adapted model framework. Results Five themes were identified from the interviews with acute care professionals across the US (N = 22): teamwork in a pressure cooker, consistent with working in a high stress environment; healthcare team cohesion, applying past lessons to present challenges, congruent with transferring past skills to current situations; knowledge gaps, and altruistic behaviors, aligned with sense of duty and personal responsibility to the team. Participants’ described how their ability to adapt to their environment was negatively impacted by uncertainty, inconsistent communication of information, and emotions of anxiety, fear, frustration, and stress. Cohesion with co-workers, transferability of skills, and altruistic behavior enhanced healthcare team performance. Conclusion Working within the extreme unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19 affected the ability of the healthcare team to anticipate and adapt to the rapidly changing environment. Both team cohesion and altruistic behavior promoted resilience. Our research contributes to a growing understanding of the importance of resilience in the healthcare team. And provides a bridge between individual and organizational resilience.
... It is observed that medical training and clinical exposure could offer some protection for health-care professionals, but vulnerability to the emotional impact of their experiences remain unchanged. [39] During the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers had high resilience, [44] but were not immune from stress response, as many of them had mental health concerns. [27] There is evidence to suggest that both problem-centered and emotion-centered coping, and resilience along with social support helped maintain positive mental health among health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
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As disasters are becoming more common, there is an ever-increasing need for support from personnel working in those situations, from search and rescue to emergency health care, relief, and postdisaster short-and long-term support. Exposure to traumatic situations affects disaster responders psychologically for various reasons and to different degrees. These mental health sequelae need to be identified, and the responders should be appropriately supported. A narrative review was conducted from the available literature in this regard. There are reports of the impact of disaster stress on disaster responders, and many have short-and long-term consequences. These are mostly anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. In some cases, it might impair their effectiveness in disaster work. There is information about improving preparedness for disaster exposure, coping strategies, and effective psychological intervention methods for the responders. However, the availability and adequacy of the support system in various situations are not clear. The impact of disaster trauma on disaster responders needs to be extensively studied and support systems should be in place to manage the negative psychosocial outcomes.
... As for the COVID-19 moment, students who engaged in high PA scored significantly higher on optimism and self-efficacy than students who presented low or no PA; results aligned with Aguirre-Loaiza et al. [61]. On the other hand, students who engaged in high PA had significantly higher resilience scores than students who engaged in medium and low or no PA, which was in line with Olmos-Gomez [40], who stated that this decreased resilience was one of the main problems in students who did not engage in physical activity, with resilience being a very important factor in protecting the mental, emotional and psychological health of an individual [62]. Likewise, lower PA was associated with reduced engagement, presenting other different negative outcomes for students, such as motivation. ...
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The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the physical, mental, and social well-being of millions worldwide. It has also brought about abrupt disruptions to the entire university system, whose students form a crucial segment of society. The pandemic’s effects on student education and well-being have been particularly significant. One of the primary consequences has been a drastic reduction in physical activity levels among students, leading to mental and physical health problems. Despite the rapid growth in the literature exploring student experiences during the pandemic, there is a paucity of research on how this decline in physical activity has affected the five strengths of the healthy student: optimism, self-efficacy, resilience, engagement, and hope. Therefore, the aim of this investigation is to examine the relationship between physical activity levels and the five strengths of the healthy student at two different time points (pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19) through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Healthy Student Questionnaire. The study involved 897 participants, with 290 participating in the pre-COVID-19 phase and 607 participating in the COVID-19 phase. The results revealed significant differences in the five strengths between the two periods. Students who engaged in physical activity exhibited significantly higher optimism scores in the pre-COVID-19 phase. During the COVID-19 phase, physically active students demonstrated significantly higher scores in optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy. These findings provide clear guidance for university administrators seeking to enhance student well-being in a post-pandemic world and in the face of future disruptions. Universities should consider implementing physical exercise programs for their students to promote psychosocial well-being and provide training and resources to equip faculty members with new skills to better understand and support students’ perceptions.
... They enable health authorities to identify areas for improvement and support to minimize the impact on patients and healthcare workers. Croghan et al.'s (2021) [6] study investigated the healthcare workers (HCWs) self-reported stress, resilience, and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic and inter-professional differences. ...
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ICU Nurses' attitudes and Perceptions towards COVID-19 Patients is crucial because it illuminates challenges regarding caring these patients in the critically ill. This cross-sectional descriptive correlational study employed 85 Saudi ICU nurses worked with critically ill COVID-19 patients since 2020 until present in the government hospitals affiliated in the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Hail Region. These hospitals included King Khalid Hospital, King Salman Specialist Hospital, Hail general Hospital, Maternity and Child Hospital, and Sharaf Hospital, as they all have intensive care units in different specialties. A self-administered questionnaire through online survey was used and composed of three parts, (1) socio-demographic profile of the respondents, (2) the attitudes of the respondents in Caring for COVID-19 Patients and (3) perceptions of the respondents in Caring for COVID-19 Patients. The tool was adopted from Al-Dossary et al. (2020). The majority of nurses participated in the study aged between 25-34 years old, hold bachelor's degree, and had between 2-5 years clinical experience. Nurses' perception and attitude were moderately positive. However, male and females were differed in respect to attitude and perception. Likewise, education, age, and length of hospital experience were also influential to the attitudes and perception. In conclusion, healthcare organizations should evaluate ICU nurses attitudes and perception of pandemics to ensure safer and optimal practice.
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Background The coronavirus pandemic has potential implications for stress levels and resilience among oncology healthcare professionals (HCPs). This study aims to assess perceived stress, resilience, and moral distress levels among oncology HCPs in Jordan during the pandemic and identify associated risk factors. Methods An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among oncology HCPs in Jordan using three validated tools: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RSIC), and Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT). Seven items were used to assess sources of stress. Results A total of 965 participants enrolled with a 74% response rate. The participants’ ages ranged from 20 to 74 (mean = 32.74, SD = 5.197), with 79.1% males, 45.1% were physicians, 32.6% were public hospital workers, 57.1% were married, and 56.6% had children below 18 years. Findings indicated moderate perceived stress (Mean = 15.87, SD = 5.861), low resilience (Mean = 29.18, SD = 5.197), and high moral distress (Mean = 4.72, SD = 2.564). Females, unmarried individuals, and younger age groups exhibited higher PSS (p = 0.009, p < 0.001, and P<0.001) and lower resilience (p = 0.024, p = 0.034, and p = 0.001). Not having children below 18 years correlated with higher perceived stress (P < 0.001). In linear regression analysis, age and gender emerged as significant predictors of both perceived stress and resilience. Female participants reported stress related to the risk of contracting COVID-19 (p = 0.001), transmitting it to others (p = 0.017), social isolation (P < 0.001), and having children at home due to school closures (p = 0.000). A cohort of 239 participants repeated the survey within a two-month interval, revealed a statistically significant decrease in the CD-RISC scores (p < 0.001). Conclusion Oncology HCPs in Jordan experienced moderate stress, high moral distress, and poor resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors may negatively affect the quality of oncology care. Urgent measures are necessary to support HCPs in coping with unforeseen circumstances in the future.
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Background Physicians play a crucial frontline role in the COVID‐19 pandemic, which may involve high levels of anxiety. We aimed to investigate the association between pandemic‐related stress factors (PRSF) and anxiety and to evaluate the potential effect of resilience on anxiety among physicians. Methods A self‐report digital survey was completed by 1106 Israeli physicians (564 males and 542 females) during the COVID‐19 outbreak. Anxiety was measured by the 8‐item version of the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Resilience was evaluated by the 10‐item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale. Stress was assessed using a PRSF inventory. Results Physicians reported high levels of anxiety with a mean score of 59.20 ± 7.95. We found an inverse association between resilience and anxiety. Four salient PRSF (mental exhaustion, anxiety about being infected, anxiety infecting family members, and sleep difficulties) positively associated with anxiety scores. Conclusions Our study identified specific PRSF including workload burden and fear of infection that are associated with increased anxiety and resilience that is associated with reduced anxiety among physicians.
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Aim: This study examines the relative influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety in frontline nurses. Background: Anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic is prevalent in the nursing workforce, potentially affecting nurses’ well-being and work performance. Identifying factors that could help maintain mental health and reduce coronavirus-related anxiety among frontline nurses is imperative. Currently, no studies have been conducted examining the influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety among nurses. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 325 registered nurses from the Philippines using four standardised scales. Results: Of the 325 nurses in the study, 123 (37.8%) were found to have dysfunctional levels of anxiety. Using multiple linear regression analyses, social support (β = -0.142, p = 0.011), personal resilience (β = -0.151, p = 0.008) and organisational support (β = -0.127, p = 0.023) predicted COVID-19 anxiety. Nurse characteristics were not associated with COVID-19 anxiety. Conclusions: Resilient nurses and those who perceived higher organisational and social support were more likely to report lower anxiety related to COVID-19. Implication for Nursing Management: COVID-19 anxiety may be addressed through organisational interventions, including increasing social support, assuring adequate organisational support, providing psychological and mental support services and providing resilience-promoting and stress management interventions.
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Purpose of review: The purposes of this discussion are to describe what is known about burnout among women physicians and identify contributing factors, categories of impact, and methods for mitigating the phenomenon. The authors conclude with current gaps in research. Recent findings: Although there are a lack of investigations analyzing and reporting physician burnout data by gender, there is evidence to suggest that women physicians experience stress and burnout differently than their men counterparts. Women physicians are more likely to face gender discrimination, gender biases, deferred personal life decisions, and barriers to professional advancement, all of which may contribute to burnout. Interventions specific to preventing physician burnout in women should include (1) addressing barriers to career satisfaction, work life integration, and mental health; (2) identification and reduction of gender and maternal bias; (3) mentorship and sponsorship opportunities; (4) family leave, lactation, and child care policies and support. In addition, gaps in research must be addressed in an effort to inform best practices for measuring and addressing burnout among women physicians.
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Importance Health care workers exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be psychologically stressed. Objective To assess the magnitude of mental health outcomes and associated factors among health care workers treating patients exposed to COVID-19 in China. Design, Settings, and Participants This cross-sectional, survey-based, region-stratified study collected demographic data and mental health measurements from 1257 health care workers in 34 hospitals from January 29, 2020, to February 3, 2020, in China. Health care workers in hospitals equipped with fever clinics or wards for patients with COVID-19 were eligible. Main Outcomes and Measures The degree of symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress was assessed by the Chinese versions of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index, and the 22-item Impact of Event Scale–Revised, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with mental health outcomes. Results A total of 1257 of 1830 contacted individuals completed the survey, with a participation rate of 68.7%. A total of 813 (64.7%) were aged 26 to 40 years, and 964 (76.7%) were women. Of all participants, 764 (60.8%) were nurses, and 493 (39.2%) were physicians; 760 (60.5%) worked in hospitals in Wuhan, and 522 (41.5%) were frontline health care workers. A considerable proportion of participants reported symptoms of depression (634 [50.4%]), anxiety (560 [44.6%]), insomnia (427 [34.0%]), and distress (899 [71.5%]). Nurses, women, frontline health care workers, and those working in Wuhan, China, reported more severe degrees of all measurements of mental health symptoms than other health care workers (eg, median [IQR] Patient Health Questionnaire scores among physicians vs nurses: 4.0 [1.0-7.0] vs 5.0 [2.0-8.0]; P = .007; median [interquartile range {IQR}] Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale scores among men vs women: 2.0 [0-6.0] vs 4.0 [1.0-7.0]; P < .001; median [IQR] Insomnia Severity Index scores among frontline vs second-line workers: 6.0 [2.0-11.0] vs 4.0 [1.0-8.0]; P < .001; median [IQR] Impact of Event Scale–Revised scores among those in Wuhan vs those in Hubei outside Wuhan and those outside Hubei: 21.0 [8.5-34.5] vs 18.0 [6.0-28.0] in Hubei outside Wuhan and 15.0 [4.0-26.0] outside Hubei; P < .001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed participants from outside Hubei province were associated with lower risk of experiencing symptoms of distress compared with those in Wuhan (odds ratio [OR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.43-0.88; P = .008). Frontline health care workers engaged in direct diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients with COVID-19 were associated with a higher risk of symptoms of depression (OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.11-2.09; P = .01), anxiety (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.22-2.02; P < .001), insomnia (OR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.92-4.60; P < .001), and distress (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.25-2.04; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this survey of heath care workers in hospitals equipped with fever clinics or wards for patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan and other regions in China, participants reported experiencing psychological burden, especially nurses, women, those in Wuhan, and frontline health care workers directly engaged in the diagnosis, treatment, and care for patients with COVID-19.
Article
Background When the contagious COVID-19 spread worldwide, the frontline staff faced unprecedented excessive work pressure and expectations of all of the society. Objective The aim was to explore healthcare workers’ stress and influencing factors when caring for COVID-19 patients from an altruistic perspective. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary hospital during the outbreak of COVID-19 between February and March 2020 in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China. Data were collected from 1208 healthcare workers. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. Ethical considerations Research ethics approval (with the code of TJ-IRB20200379) was obtained from Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Written informed consent was also received from participants. Results Less than 60% of participants chose moderate or severe stress on all stressors, indicating a low stress level among healthcare workers. The main source of stress among frontline healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients came from the fear of being infected, the fear of family members being infected, and the discomfort caused by protective equipment. Frontline staff who were nurses, were married, and had worked more than 20 days suffered higher stress, whereas rescue staff showed lower stress. Conclusion The healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 had low stress level, although they still had the fear of being infected or uncomfortable feeling caused by personal protective equipment. A low stress level among healthcare workers indicated their professional devotion and altruism during COVID-19 epidemic. Medical institutions and the government should continue to strengthen infection prevention measures and provide more comprehensive care involving families of frontline healthcare workers, especially nurses and married staff. It will be a lesson to other countries that awaking healthcare workers’ inside motivation and providing necessary support from government and society were significant.
Article
Objective The mental health toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers (HCW) is not yet fully described. We characterized distress, coping, and preferences for support among NYC HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This was a cross-sectional web survey of physicians, advanced practice providers, residents/fellows, and nurses, conducted during a peak of inpatient admissions for COVID-19 in NYC (April 9th–April 24th 2020) at a large medical center in NYC (n = 657). Results Positive screens for psychological symptoms were common; 57% for acute stress, 48% for depressive, and 33% for anxiety symptoms. For each, a higher percent of nurses/advanced practice providers screened positive vs. attending physicians, though housestaff's rates for acute stress and depression did not differ from either. Sixty-one percent of participants reported increased sense of meaning/purpose since the COVID-19 outbreak. Physical activity/exercise was the most common coping behavior (59%), and access to an individual therapist with online self-guided counseling (33%) garnered the most interest. Conclusions NYC HCWs, especially nurses and advanced practice providers, are experiencing COVID-19-related psychological distress. Participants reported using empirically-supported coping behaviors, and endorsed indicators of resilience, but they also reported interest in additional wellness resources. Programs developed to mitigate stress among HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic should integrate HCW preferences.
Article
Purpose of review: The world is experiencing the evolving situation associated with the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) virus, and there is more of need than ever for stress management and self-care. In this article, we will define the physiological, psychological and social aspects, stages, and components of stress reactions in the context of COVID-19, review the relevant literature on stress reactions, and offer some guidance on how to help patients mitigate the physiological and psychological impact of the pandemic through resilience-building techniques. Recent findings: There is continued evidence that the fight or flight response involves activation throughout the body at physiological, biochemical and immune levels. This response can be mitigated through increasing parasympathetic nervous system activation as well as cognitive and behavioral interventions. Summary: This article will review the stress, provide a theoretical layout to predict upcoming response, and offer clinicians some practical interventions to employ as the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Article
Zusammenfassung Ziel Darstellung von Studien zur psychischen Belastung von medizinischem Personal unter Bedingungen der COVID-19-Pandemie. Methodik PubMed-gestützte Suche mit den Stichworten COVID 19“, „stress“, „mental health“, „healthcare worker“, „staff“, „psychiatry“. Eingeschlossen wurden quantitative Studien, (inkl. „Letter to the editor“) zur Belastung des medizinischen Personals im Zeitraum von Januar bis März 2020. Ergebnisse Es wurden 14 Studien mit Klinikpersonal aus Infektionsabteilungen, Abteilungen für Fieberkranke, Abteilungen der Inneren Medizin inklusive Intensivstationen sowie der Chirurgie und Psychiatrie identifiziert. Am häufigsten wurden der Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), die Self-rating-Anxiety Scale (SAS) und die Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) verwendet. Die Stichprobengröße schwankte zwischen 37 und 1257 Personen des überwiegend pflegerischen und ärztlichen Personals. Der Anteil an COVID-19-nahen Tätigkeiten schwankte zwischen 7,5 % und 100 %. Es wurde eine erhebliche Belastung durch Stresserleben, depressive und ängstliche Symptome berichtet. Schwere Ausprägungsgrade fanden sich bei 2,2–14,5 % der Befragten. Die Ausprägung der psychischen Symptomatik wurde beeinflusst durch Alter, Geschlecht, Berufsgruppe, Fachrichtung, Art der Tätigkeit und die Nähe zu COVID-19-Patienten. Als Mediatorvariablen wurden das Personalmanagement, die präventive Intervention, die Resilienz und vorhandene soziale Unterstützung angesehen. Schlussfolgerung Angesichts der Häufigkeit psychischer Symptome bei medizinischem Personal erscheinen begleitende psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutisch informierte Interventionen notwendig, um eine Bewältigung zu unterstützen. Eine schnell einsetzende Forschung ist in diesem Bereich wünschenswert.