ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to examine work environment related factors and frontline primary healthcare profes-sionals' mental-emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic in school communities of Hong Kong. A total of 61 (20%) school health nurses (frontline primary healthcare professionals) participated in a cross-sec-tional online survey from March to June 2020. Outcomes of mental-emotional health were measured using the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (14-item scale with three subscales related to emotional, social and psychological wellbeing);the Perceived Stress Scale (10-item scale with two subscales related to perceived help-lessness and lack of self-efficacy;and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief COPE), a 28-item inventory with two subscales related to adaptive and maladaptive strategies. Almost half (42.6%) of participants experienced mental health problems. Those employed in government subsidized schools had significantly lower scores in mental health wellbeing than those who worked in private schools. Factors relating to increased mental health problems included lack of emotional support, inadequate training relating to infection prevention and control measures, disengagement and self-blame. A variety of factors influencing school health nurses' social, emotional and psychological wellbeing in their work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic were also reported. The mental-emotional wellbeing of school nurses may relate to their subjective feeling of loneliness as participants were the sole frontline primary healthcare professional working in the school community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study findings provide relevant evidence for management teams to build a culture of psychological and social support into workplace policies and procedures. Continuous staff development and adequate social support are important to promote the mental-emotional wellbeing of primary healthcare professionals in school communities as they play a significant role in safeguarding resources during pandemics. © 2023, Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a massive health crisis that has exerted enormous physical and psychological pressure. Mental healthcare for healthcare workers (HCWs) should receive serious consideration. This study served to determine the mental-health outcomes of 1,556 HCWs from 45 countries who participated in the COVID-19 IMPACT project, and to examine the predictors of the outcomes during the first pandemic wave. Methods: Outcomes assessed were self-reported perceived stress, depression symptom, and sleep changes. The predictors examined included sociodemographic factors and perceived social support. Results: The results demonstrated that half of the HCWs had moderate levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression. Half of the HCWs (n = 800, 51.4%) had similar sleeping patterns since the pandemic started, and one in four slept more or slept less. HCWs reported less perceived stress and depression symptoms and higher levels of perceived social support than the general population who participated in the same project. Predictors associated with higher perceived stress and symptoms of depression among HCWs included female sex, not having children, living with parents, lower educational level, and lower social support. Discussion: The need for establishing ways to mitigate mental-health risks and adjusting psychological interventions and support for HCWs seems to be significant as the pandemic continues.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to compare the mediation of psychological flexibility, prosociality and coping in the impacts of illness perceptions toward COVID-19 on mental health among seven regions. Convenience sampled online survey was conducted between April and June 2020 from 9130 citizens in 21 countries. Illness perceptions toward COVID-19, psychological flexibility, prosociality, coping and mental health, socio-demographics, lockdown-related variables and COVID-19 status were assessed. Results showed that psychological flexibility was the only significant mediator in the relationship between illness perceptions toward COVID-19 and mental health across all regions (all ps = 0.001-0.021). Seeking social support was the significant mediator across subgroups (all ps range = <0.001-0.005) except from the Hong Kong sample (p = 0.06) and the North and South American sample (p = 0.53). No mediation was found for problem-solving (except from the Northern European sample, p = 0.009). Prosociality was the significant mediator in the Hong Kong sample (p = 0.016) and the Eastern European sample (p = 0.008). These findings indicate that fostering psychological flexibility may help to mitigate the adverse mental impacts of COVID-19 across regions. Roles of seeking social support, problem-solving and prosociality vary across regions.