Work and Nonwork Contributory Factors to Health Care Workers' Mental Health

ABSTRACT

In this cross-sectional survey of 828 participants, they report that insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE);experiences of discrimination, violence, and harassment;not receiving family support;experiencing financial strain;and having to isolate because of COVID-19 were each associated with an increased prevalence ratio of probable depression cases. [...]working on COVID-1 9 or intensive care wards is a particular risk factor,1,2 whereas concerns have been raised about differential access to PPE based on one's role, sex, and ethnicity.3 One postulation from Silva et al. is that community health care workers were no longer able to visit community homes, potentially alleviating some work demands and reducing their exposure risk or vulnerability to violence and discrimination. Because ill mental health is a factor in the global challenge to retain health care workers, we need better research, policies, and support to understand, capture, and model these differences. [...]building support is an important resource for health care workers to draw on and to mitigate the detrimental impact that demanding work environments can have on their mental health.5,6 A SYSTEMS PN1 -https//media.proquest.com/media/hms/PFT/1/UhuwM?_a=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%2BgIBToIDA1dlYooDHENJRDoyMDIyMDUxODEyNDIwMTMwMDo5OTI2MzY%3D&_s=%2BTB5DoMLaFgpkVf8XhHojdnxVis%3D ERSPECTIVE ON HEALTH CARE WORKERS' MENTAL HEALTH The six potential pandemic-related contributing factors shift the narrative of health care worker well-being away from only the individual, emphasizing the responsibility of governments and health care leaders. Too often, research on health care workers' well-being has focused on individual factors (such as psychological states and traits) as antecedents to their well-being, neglecting the various other organizational and societal factors they are exposed to.7 Although the lack of PPE and job type are work-related contributing factors to probable cases of depression, the contributing role of family support and financial strain highlights how nonwork factors are also important. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been evident that we can no longer clearly delineate work from our nonwork lives.