Dataset Information

Stressors on frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a focus on moral injury and implications for the future.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a psychological strain on health care workers (HCWs). To provide effective support, it is important to explore the stressors that HCWs face that place them at risk of negative psychological outcomes. However, there is a limited number of systematic qualitative studies on the stressors that HCWs faced in the United States of America (USA) during the first wave of the pandemic. Therefore, we explored the stressors that frontline HCWs in the USA experienced during the initial phase of the pandemic.

Methods

We performed a qualitative study based on open-ended, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews conducted virtually among HCWs from June 1st to July 18th, 2020. We interviewed frontline HCWs (N = 45) including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and patient care assistants who worked in various specialties and roles in 3 health systems across Connecticut, USA. We offered participants a $25 gift card as a token of appreciation. We used inductive techniques derived from grounded theory to develop themes.

Results

We identified 3 main themes related to stressors experienced by HCWs during the initial phase of the pandemic namely: (1) Stress of witnessing an unprecedented number of deaths and the impact on patient families; (2) Stress of changing work environment and unmet professional expectations and; (3) Concern for safety in personal life. Furthermore, we highlight experiences that HCWs faced that place them at risk of developing a moral injury.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight stressors faced by HCWs that could aid in the provision of well-guided support to HCWs in the present and post-pandemic era.

SUBMITTER: Adeyemo OO

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9048619 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Stressors on frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a focus on moral injury and implications for the future.

Adeyemo Oluwatosin O OO Tu Stephanie S Falako Simileoluwa S Keene Danya D

International archives of occupational and environmental health 20220428 8

<h4>Objective</h4>The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a psychological strain on health care workers (HCWs). To provide effective support, it is important to explore the stressors that HCWs face that place them at risk of negative psychological outcomes. However, there is a limited number of systematic qualitative studies on the stressors that HCWs faced in the United States of America (USA) during the first wave of the pandemic. Therefore, we explored the stressors that frontline HCWs in the USA ex ...[more]

PMID: 35482111

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundGlobal health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, confront healthcare workers (HCW) with increased exposure to potentially morally distressing events. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to explore the links between moral distress, moral resilience, and emergence of mental health symptoms in HCWs.MethodsA total of 962 Canadian healthcare workers (88.4% female, 44.6 + 12.8 years old) completed an online survey during the first COVID-19 wave in Canada (between April 3rd and September 3rd, 2020). Respondents completed a series of validated scales assessing moral distress, perceived stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms, and moral resilience. Respondents were grouped based on exposure to patients who tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to descriptive statistics and analyses of covariance, multiple linear regression was used to evaluate if moral resilience moderates the association between exposure to morally distressing events and moral distress. Factors associated with moral resilience were also assessed.FindingsRespondents working with patients with COVID-19 showed significantly more severe moral distress, anxiety, and depression symptoms (F > 5.5, p < .020), and a higher proportion screened positive for mental disorders (Chi-squared > 9.1, p = .002), compared to healthcare workers who were not. Moral resilience moderated the relationship between exposure to potentially morally distressing events and moral distress (p < .001); compared to those with higher moral resilience, the subgroup with the lowest moral resilience had a steeper cross-sectional worsening in moral distress as the frequency of potentially morally distressing events increased. Moral resilience also correlated with lower stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms (r > .27, p < .001). Factors independently associated with stronger moral resilience included: being male, older age, no mental disorder diagnosis, sleeping more, and higher support from employers and colleagues (B [0.02, |-0.26|].InterpretationElevated moral distress and mental health symptoms in healthcare workers facing a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic call for the development of interventions promoting moral resilience as a protective measure against moral adversities.

Dataset Information

Stressors on frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a focus on moral injury and implications for the future.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Stressors on frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a focus on moral injury and implications for the future.

Similar Datasets

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