The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study
Background Health and social care workers (HSCWs) are at risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes (e.g. higher levels of anxiety and depression) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This can have a detrimental effect on quality of care, the national response to the pandemic and its aftermath...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-01-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421010796/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827995593160523776 |
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| author | Johannes H. De Kock Helen Ann Latham Richard G. Cowden Breda Cullen Katia Narzisi Shaun Jerdan Sarah-Anne Muñoz Stephen J. Leslie Neil McNamara Adam Boggon Roger W. Humphry |
| author_facet | Johannes H. De Kock Helen Ann Latham Richard G. Cowden Breda Cullen Katia Narzisi Shaun Jerdan Sarah-Anne Muñoz Stephen J. Leslie Neil McNamara Adam Boggon Roger W. Humphry |
| author_sort | Johannes H. De Kock |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background
Health and social care workers (HSCWs) are at risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes (e.g. higher levels of anxiety and depression) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This can have a detrimental effect on quality of care, the national response to the pandemic and its aftermath.
Aims
A longitudinal design provided follow-up evidence on the mental health (changes in prevalence of disease over time) of NHS staff working at a remote health board in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic, and investigated the determinants of mental health outcomes over time.
Method
A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted from July to September 2020. Participants self-reported levels of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7) and mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) at baseline and 1.5 months later.
Results
The analytic sample of 169 participants, working in community (43%) and hospital (44%) settings, reported substantial levels of depression and anxiety, and low mental well-being at baseline (depression, 30.8%; anxiety, 20.1%; well-being, 31.9%). Although mental health remained mostly constant over time, the proportion of participants meeting the threshold for anxiety increased to 27.2% at follow-up. Multivariable modelling indicated that working with, and disruption because of, COVID-19 were associated with adverse mental health changes over time.
Conclusions
HSCWs working in a remote area with low COVID-19 prevalence reported substantial levels of anxiety and depression, similar to those working in areas with high COVID-19 prevalence. Efforts to support HSCW mental health must remain a priority, and should minimise the adverse effects of working with, and disruption caused by, the COVID-19 pandemic.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:58:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-164374b6d92d478389043274255feef5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:58:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-164374b6d92d478389043274255feef52023-03-09T12:29:18ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242022-01-01810.1192/bjo.2021.1079The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort studyJohannes H. De Kock0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2468-5572Helen Ann Latham1Richard G. Cowden2Breda Cullen3Katia Narzisi4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9869-0799Shaun Jerdan5Sarah-Anne Muñoz6Stephen J. Leslie7Neil McNamara8Adam Boggon9Roger W. Humphry10Institute for Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands; and Department of Clinical Psychology, New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital, NHS Highland, UKNairn Healthcare Group, NHS Highland, UKInstitute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, USAInstitute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, UKInstitute for Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands, UKInstitute for Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands, UKInstitute for Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands, UKInstitute for Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands; and Cardiac Unit, Raigmore Hospital, NHS Highland, UKDepartment of Psychiatry, New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital, NHS Highland, UKUniversity College London Medical School, Royal Free Hospital, UKEpidemiology Research Unit, Scottish Rural College, UKBackground Health and social care workers (HSCWs) are at risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes (e.g. higher levels of anxiety and depression) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This can have a detrimental effect on quality of care, the national response to the pandemic and its aftermath. Aims A longitudinal design provided follow-up evidence on the mental health (changes in prevalence of disease over time) of NHS staff working at a remote health board in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic, and investigated the determinants of mental health outcomes over time. Method A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted from July to September 2020. Participants self-reported levels of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7) and mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) at baseline and 1.5 months later. Results The analytic sample of 169 participants, working in community (43%) and hospital (44%) settings, reported substantial levels of depression and anxiety, and low mental well-being at baseline (depression, 30.8%; anxiety, 20.1%; well-being, 31.9%). Although mental health remained mostly constant over time, the proportion of participants meeting the threshold for anxiety increased to 27.2% at follow-up. Multivariable modelling indicated that working with, and disruption because of, COVID-19 were associated with adverse mental health changes over time. Conclusions HSCWs working in a remote area with low COVID-19 prevalence reported substantial levels of anxiety and depression, similar to those working in areas with high COVID-19 prevalence. Efforts to support HSCW mental health must remain a priority, and should minimise the adverse effects of working with, and disruption caused by, the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421010796/type/journal_articleMental healthstaffNational Health ServiceCOVID-19risk factors |
| spellingShingle | Johannes H. De Kock Helen Ann Latham Richard G. Cowden Breda Cullen Katia Narzisi Shaun Jerdan Sarah-Anne Muñoz Stephen J. Leslie Neil McNamara Adam Boggon Roger W. Humphry The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study BJPsych Open Mental health staff National Health Service COVID-19 risk factors |
| title | The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study |
| title_full | The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study |
| title_fullStr | The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study |
| title_short | The mental health of NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic: two-wave Scottish cohort study |
| title_sort | mental health of nhs staff during the covid 19 pandemic two wave scottish cohort study |
| topic | Mental health staff National Health Service COVID-19 risk factors |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421010796/type/journal_article |
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