“Each week feels like a mountain”: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health providers’ wellbeing and clinical work

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Prof Psychol Res Pr
• Personal Author:
  Mittal, Mona ; Morgan, Amy A. ; Du, Jingshuai ; Jiang, Jessica ; Boekeloo, Bradley ; Fish, Jessica
• Description:
  The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed a tremendous strain on healthcare providers. Although there is a burgeoning body of literature on how COVID-19 has impacted frontline healthcare workers (i.e., providers treating COVID-19 patients), little attention has been dedicated to second-line workers (i.e., providers treating the mental health of people impacted by COVID-19). In this paper, we present findings from a thematic analysis of open text responses (| = 136) examining how COVID-19 shaped both the wellbeing of second-line workers, specifically mental health providers, as well as their clinical work in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Results indicated that mental health providers were experiencing significant COVID-19-related burnout and poor physical and mental health outcomes. Participants described diminished negative effects on the quality of their clinical care from the burnout and trauma associated with COVID-19. Many also demonstrated resilience, identifying the duality of both negative (e.g., exhaustion) and positive (e.g., pride in helping others) meaning derived from their second-line work experiences. We conclude with recommendations for preventing and addressing burnout among mental health professionals in the era of COVID-19 and subsequent health emergencies.
• Keywords:
  Burnout COVID-19 Mental Health Provider Second-line Workers Teletherapy
• Source:
  Prof Psychol Res Pr. 54(1):103-113
• Pubmed ID:
  37261211
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10228181
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  U48 DP006382/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  1
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:e22e97bd84cc7fe2323be841bea72aa9fef6725e577cffbf23d4858652f641ed
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/129376/cdc_129376_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 362.08 KB ]