Study: the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of workers

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on citizens working in their workplaces are numerous, including cases of violence, says study author Hope M. Tisman, Ph.D. and epidemiologist.

According to a recent U.S. study, 32% of public health workers experienced at least one form of psychological abuse, harassment, in their workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Experts attribute the increase in violence to the negative impact on the health of workers covid.

The more employees faced adverse work environments, the more symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal thoughts they experienced. news4health.gr. “The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers are well documented, and research into the psychological effects is growing,” said study author Hope M. Tisman, PhD, a research epidemiologist in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Safety Research Division in Morgantown, WV (Hope M. Tiesman, PhD, επιδημιολόγος ερευνητής στο Division of Safety Research of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) στο Morgantown).

However, in addition to increasing the number verbal attacks on employees an increase in cases of assault was also recorded.

How the study was conducted

Using an online questionnaire, the authors of the US study examined the prevalence of non-physical workplace violence against healthcare workers and its impact on their mental health. More than 26,000 healthcare professionals at the federal, state, and local levels took part in the survey.

The survey aimed to capture the experience of respondents from the beginning of the pandemic, that is, from March 2020 to April 2021. It included, among others, questions about demographics, the extent of workplace violence, and other factors related to the “general atmosphere at work.” Mental health was assessed using a standardized and validated tool to measure mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation.

What the study showed

In the survey, 26,174 participants reported the following experiences:

• 26% experienced stigmatization (the formation of a negative attitude towards an individual or a group of people based on some psychological, physical, intellectual and other characteristics) due to their work in the field of public health.
• 12% received job-related threats.
• 24% have experienced bullying and harassment.

Overall, 32% of participants experienced at least one form or combination of forms of workplace violence. As the number of working hours per week increased, so did the likelihood of violence. Specifically, workers reported aggressive behavior based on the number of hours:

• Less than 20 hours of work per week: 16% experienced violence.
• 20-40 hours: 25% experienced violence.
• 41-60 hours: 41% experienced violence.
• 61-75 hours: 52% experienced violence.
• more than 75 hours: 61% experienced violence.

Implications for mental health

The researchers also found that workplace violence was associated with the following mental health outcomes:

• 21% of the subjects showed a higher risk of depression or anxiety.
• 31% of the subjects – a high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder.
• 26% of the subjects showed a higher risk of suicidal thoughts.

Even after researchers took into account health-related factors such as contracting COVID-19, losing a family member to covid, and other stressors during the pandemic, the association between violence and mental health impact was significant.

Thus, the study concluded that the more violence a worker experiences in the workplace, the more impact it has on their mental health.

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