Gaps in Mental Health Care-Seeking Among Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic – United States, September 2022–May 2023

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barile JP ; Guerin, Rebecca J. ; Jia H ; Papa A ; Thompson WW
• Description:
  Summary: What is already known about this topic? Providing patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with high levels of mental health symptoms among U.S. health care workers. What is added by this report? Among providers surveyed, 26% reported mental health symptoms at levels meeting diagnostic criteria during September 2022-May 2023; however, only 20% of providers sought mental health care during the preceding year. Support from supervisors reduced the effect of work stressors on mental health symptoms. The primary barriers to care-seeking were difficulty getting time off from work and concerns about confidentiality and cost. What are the implications for public health practice? Gaps in mental health care-seeking might be reduced by organizational and governmental efforts to reduce stigma, addressing concerns about confidentiality and licensing, and increasing supervisor training. Abstract: Health care workers experience substantial chronic stress, burn out, and mental distress, and the COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated these conditions. To identify ways to improve mental health care-seeking among this population, mental health symptoms, care-seeking, and self-reported barriers to seeking mental health care among U.S. health care providers during the pandemic were studied. During September 2022-May 2023, 2,603 primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants participated in a national Internet panel survey. Approximately one half (45.4%) of participants reported that they did not need mental health care, and only one in five (20.3%) had sought care. One quarter (25.6%) of providers reported mental distress severe enough to meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathology. Among these providers, only 38% reported seeking care; 20.1% indicated that they did not need care, despite severe symptoms. The average number of years in practice was lower for providers reporting care-seeking. Providers who identified as female were also more likely to report care-seeking. The most frequently reported barriers to care-seeking included difficulty getting time off from work, cost of care, and concerns about confidentiality. Increased pandemic-related work stressors were associated with increased symptom severity, but support from work supervisors mitigated these effects. Organizational human resources practices, supervisor training on managing employee stress, and public health messaging to normalize mental health care-seeking and its effects on licensing might help address gaps in provider care-seeking and improve patient outcomes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Stress, Psychological
• Keywords:
  Burnout COVID-19 Health Care Workers Job Stress Mental Health Well-being
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Tables
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Georgia ; Hawaii ; New York ; New York City Region [OSHA] ; San Francisco Region [OSHA] ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  WSD - Western States Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  19-25
• Volume:
  74
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070462
• Citation:
  MMWR 2025 Jan; 74(2):19-25
• Email:
  papaa@hawaii.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:439adc7565d8dddb9d11df0ca5ea3fa3e94cf846ee4e5917c7143f4e992688e8febb4869cf807aafc093f94505125eb2220650a62a0289be3bd3926d87b46ee6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/183121/cdc_183121_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 246.55 KB ]