Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 12, 2020
Date Accepted: Aug 6, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Aug 8, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Work-related and Personal Factors Associated with Mental Well-being during COVID-19 Response: A Survey of Health Care and Other Workers
ABSTRACT
Background:
Response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created unprecedented disruption in work conditions. This study describes mental health and well-being among workers both with and without clinical exposure to COVID-19 patients.
Objective:
Measure the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression, work-exhaustion, burnout, and decreased well-being among faculty and staff at a university and academic medical center during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and describe work-related and personal factors associated with mental health and well-being.
Methods:
All faculty, staff, and post-doctoral fellows of a university, including its medical school, were invited to complete an online questionnaire measuring stress, anxiety, depression, work exhaustion, burnout, and decreased well-being. We examined associations between these outcomes and factors including work in high-risk clinical settings, and family/home stressors.
Results:
There were 5550 respondents (overall response rate of 34.3%). 38% of faculty and 14% of staff (n=915) were providing clinical care, while 57% of faculty and 77% of staff were working from home. The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and work exhaustion were somewhat higher among clinicians than non-clinicians. Among all workers, anxiety, depression, and high work exhaustion were independently associated with community or clinical exposure to COVID-19 [Prevalence Ratios and 95% confidence intervals 1.37(1.09- 1.73), 1.28(1.03 - 1.59), and 1.24(1.13 - 1.36) respectively]. Poor family supportive behaviors by supervisors were also associated with these outcomes [1.40 (1.21 - 1.62), 1.69 (1.48 - 1.92), 1.54 (1.44 - 1.64)]. Age below 40 and a greater number of family/home stressors were also associated with poorer outcomes. Among the subset of clinicians, caring for patients with COVID-19 and work in high-risk clinical settings were additional risk factors.
Conclusions:
Our findings suggest that the pandemic has had negative effects on mental health and well-being among both clinical and non-clinical employees. Prevention of exposure to COVID-19 and increased supervisor support are modifiable risk factors that may protect mental health and well-being.
Citation
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