Monitoring the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and occupational outcomes of healthcare workers.
Aims We will investigate the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and occupational outcomes of healthcare workers (HCWs), using an existing cohort to enable longitudinal analyses, by collecting another wave of questionnaire data around the 24-month follow-up mark. We will explore:
1. The prevalence of mental health and occupational outcomes, and associated factors, among HCWs at 24-month follow-up as well as their patterns over time using previously collected data from baseline, 6 month and 12-month follow-up.
2. The trajectories of mental health outcomes over time in HCWs and the identification of factors that may have contributed to these trajectories.
3. To identify the most helpful support services for HCWs, and whether views on these have changed over time
What the research will involve (Research plan/work packages)
WP1: We will investigate the longer-term impact of the pandemic by following up our existing cohort of 23,000 HCWs in 18 NHS Trusts in England around the 32-month mark to add to previously collected baseline, 6 month and 12-month questionnaire data.
WP2: We will collect detailed data on staff’s experience of the pandemic, their mental health (depression, anxiety, PTSD, moral injury, alcohol misuse, post-traumatic growth), occupational outcomes (intention to leave, sickness absence) and experiences of staff support programmes.
What has the study found so far?
Three papers are ready for submission, 1) exploring the trajectories and associated factors of psychological distress over the course of the pandemic in HCWs, 2) HCWs sickness absence and staff’s intention to leave and 3) trajectories of resilience and associations with burn out among mental health care staff over the course of the pandemic.
Findings of paper 3 were presented by Dr Nora Trompeter (former post-doc) during the ESTSS conference in Belfast (June 2023).
The NHS CHECK Mental Health conference took place on 4 December 2023 at King’s College London involving speakers from the LCWH (Prof Ira Madan, Dr Sharon Stevelink, Prof Neil Greenberg, Dr Danielle Lamb) and others. Topics included: the mental health impact on the NHS, suicide & self harm, long Covid, the use of mental health self-screening tools, PhD & Early Career showcasing.
Study Team: Dr Sharon Stevelink, Dr Danielle Lamb.
Further information: sharon.stevelink@kcl.ac.uk
Funders Rosetrees Trust
Publications
Padmanathan P, Lamb D, Scott H, Stevelink S.A.M, Greenberg N, Hotopf M, Morriss R, Raine R, Rafferty M, Madan I, Dorrington S, Wessely S, Moran P. (2023) Suicidal thoughts and behaviour among healthcare workers in England during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study. PLoS ONE. 18(6) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286207