Dataset Information

Moral obligation to follow anti-COVID-19 measures strengthens the mental health cost of pandemic burnout.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It has been observed that people become gradually exhausted by receiving COVID-19-related information and adhering to the corresponding preventive measures as the pandemic unfolds. This phenomenon is known as pandemic burnout. Emerging evidence shows that pandemic burnout is related to poor mental health. This study extended the trendy topic by examining the idea that moral obligation, a crucial motivation driving people to follow the preventive measures, would amplify the mental health cost of pandemic burnout.

Methods

Participants were 937 Hong Kong citizens (88 % females, 62.4 % aged 31-40 years). They participated in a cross-sectional online survey reporting on pandemic burnout, moral obligation, and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress).

Results

Findings of moderation model analyses showed that higher levels of pandemic burnout and moral obligation were related to more mental health problems. Importantly, the "pandemic burnout-mental health problems" links were moderated by moral obligation, with those who felt more morally obliged to follow the measures reporting poorer mental health than those who felt less morally obliged to do so.

Limitations

The cross-sectional design of the study may constrain the evidence about the directions and causality of the relationships. Participants were only recruited from Hong Kong and females were over-represented, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings.

Conclusions

People who experience pandemic burnout while feeling more morally obliged to follow the anti-COVID-19 measures are at greater risk of mental health problems. They might need more mental health support from medical professionals.

SUBMITTER: Li JB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9940470 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Moral obligation to follow anti-COVID-19 measures strengthens the mental health cost of pandemic burnout.

Li Jian-Bin JB Lau Eva Yi Hung EYH Chan Derwin King Chung DKC

Journal of affective disorders 20230220

<h4>Background</h4>It has been observed that people become gradually exhausted by receiving COVID-19-related information and adhering to the corresponding preventive measures as the pandemic unfolds. This phenomenon is known as pandemic burnout. Emerging evidence shows that pandemic burnout is related to poor mental health. This study extended the trendy topic by examining the idea that moral obligation, a crucial motivation driving people to follow the preventive measures, would amplify the men ...[more]

PMID: 36813045

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Project description:AimThe present study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between Corley's model variables in mental health nurses.BackgroundBased on Corley's model, burnout and moral distress in nurses are, in retrospect, the consequences of the interplay of organizational and individual factors such as perceived organizational justice, moral sensitivity, and moral courage. The relationship between two variables or three variables of Corley's moral distress model has been investigated, but the test of Corley's moral distress model with more variables has not been done. Therefore, this research was proposed with the aim of investigating the relationship between the variables of moral courage and moral sensitivity (as characteristics of nurses), perceived organizational justice (as an antecedent), moral distress, and job burnout (as consequences of moral distress).MethodsThe study was conducted as a descriptive correlational study involving 500 nurses working in the mental health wards of hospitals. Data collection was conducted using perceived organizational justice scale, moral sensitivity scale, moral courage scale, moral distress scale, and burnout inventory.ResultsThe results showed a significant relationship between perceived organizational justice, moral sensitivity, moral courage, and moral distress (< 0.05). Moreover, perceived organizational justice and moral distress had an inverse relationship. Moral sensitivity and moral courage had a direct relationship with moral distress (< 0.05). Furthermore, the results showed inadequate model fitness.ConclusionsThis study adds to the existing knowledge about the experiences of mental health nurses and their interactions with both organizational and individual factors. It highlights that the connections between perceived organizational justice, moral sensitivity, moral courage, moral distress, and burnout are intricate and multifaceted. As we deepen our understanding of these relationships, it opens the door for the development of interventions and strategies to enhance nurses' well-being and the quality of care they deliver in mental health settings. Moreover, future research and ongoing refinement and expansion of Corley's model will be crucial in addressing the complex challenges within the healthcare sector.

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.

Project description:BackgroundMoral distress is a reason for burnout in healthcare professionals, but the clinical settings in which moral distress is most often experienced by medical students, and whether moral distress is associated with burnout and career choices in medical students is unknown. We assessed moral distress in medical students while caring for older patients, and examined associations with burnout and interest in geriatrics.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study of second-, third-, and fourth-year medical students at an American medical school. The survey described 12 potentially morally distressing clinical scenarios involving older adult patients. Students reported if they encountered each scenario, and whether they experienced moral distress, graded on a 1-10 scale. We conducted a principal axis factor analysis to assess the dimensionality of the survey scenarios. A composite moral distress score was calculated as the sum of moral distress scores across all 12 scenarios. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Abbreviated Burnout Inventory, and interest in geriatrics was rated on a 7-point Likert scale.ResultsTwo-hundred and nine students responded (47%), of whom 90% (188/209) reported moral distress in response to ≥1 scenario with a median (IQR) score of 6 (4-7). Factor analysis suggested a unidimensional factor structure of the 12 survey questions that reliably measured individual distress (Cronbach alpha = 0.78). Those in the highest tertile of composite moral distress scores were more likely to be burnt out (51%) than those in the middle tertile of scores (34%), or lowest tertile of scores (31%) (p = 0.02). There was a trend towards greater interest in geriatrics among those in the higher tertiles of composite moral distress scores (16% lowest tertile, 20% middle tertile, 25% highest tertile, p-for-tend = 0.21). Respondents suggested that moral distress might be mitigated with didactic sessions in inpatient geriatric care, and debriefing sessions with peers and faculty on the inpatient clerkships on medicine, neurology, and surgery, where students most often reported experiencing moral distress.ConclusionsMoral distress is highly prevalent among medical students while caring for older patients, and associated with burnout. Incorporating geriatrics education and debriefing sessions into inpatient clerkships could alleviate medical student moral distress and burnout.

Dataset Information

Moral obligation to follow anti-COVID-19 measures strengthens the mental health cost of pandemic burnout.

Background

Methods

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Publications

Moral obligation to follow anti-COVID-19 measures strengthens the mental health cost of pandemic burnout.

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