PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT IN MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN AUSTRALIA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging effects across society, and healthcare workers of all kinds find themselves on the frontline. Studies have shown that during the pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) have suffered from high rates of mental distress, but little work has focused explicitly on mental healthcare workers, who may experience unique stressors during this pandemic. Objective: To examine psychological distress and professional burnout in a cohort of Australian mental healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study examined a multidisciplinary cohort of mental healthcare workers in a large metropolitan service in Australia. Demographic and employment information as well as individual personal experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was collected and correlated with cross-sectional assessments of anxiety, depression and professional burnout using validated clinical questionnaires the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Findings: Unsurprisingly, HCWs reported that the pandemic has impacted multiple domains of life and, as a result, high levels of anxiety, depression and professional burnout were reported. Participants reported some reduction in anxiety since the early phases of the pandemic, but the reduction was more modest in mental healthcare workers identifying as being 'vulnerable' employees. Conclusion: Despite the low numbers of COVID-19 cases in Australia, mental healthcare workers in Australia report significant levels of psychological distress and professional burnout during the pandemic, influenced by several factors in both their professional and private lives.