"My problems aren't severe enough to seek help": Stress levels and use of mental health supports by Canadian hospital employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to the unique set of stressors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers in acute care settings may be facing elevated rates of mental health symptomatology. The purpose of this study was to assess levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in a sample of healthcare employees working in hospitals and their use of formal and informal mental health supports. Data was gathered over a three-week period in December 2020 as COVID cases began to rise sharply in Ontario, Canada. Results from an online survey of 650 healthcare employees suggested that overall levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were mild. However, a significant minority of participants reported severe or extremely severe levels of depression (14.4%), anxiety (21.8%), and stress (13.5%). Levels of distress were higher among women, younger participants, those who did not work directly with COVID+ patients, and those who were redeployed. Use of formal mental health supports (e.g., Employee Assistance Plans, teletherapy) was very low (<10%), with the most frequently-reported reason for not using supports being "problems not severe enough to require this service". Implications are considered for healthcare policy decisions as hospital systems attempt to address the mental health needs of their employees.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adult Sexual Risk Behavior: A Review and Critique.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem with serious repercussions for survivors in various domains of adult interpersonal functioning, including sexual risk behavior. This review aimed to summarize findings from the recent literature on the connections between CSA and later adult sexual risk behaviors (e.g., unprotected intercourse, sexually transmitted infection [STSI] diagnosis). The sexual risk behaviors consistently associated with CSA were having sex under the influence of alcohol/substances and reports of concurrent sexual partners/infidelity. Notably, studies investigating the links between CSA and history of STI diagnosis and CSA and reports of unprotected sex (with the exception of samples comprised men who have sex with men) produced inconsistent findings. The methodological limitations of existing studies are considered and suggestions for future research are offered.