Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Προαγωγή ψυχικής υγείας - Πρόληψη ψυχιατρικών διαταραχώνLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Supervisors info:
Κωνσταντακόπουλος Γεώργιος, Διδάκτωρ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Mαλογιάννης Ιωάννης, Διδάκτωρ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Στεφανάτου Πενταγιώτισσα, Διδάκτωρ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Εργασιακή εξουθένωση και ψυχική καταπόνηση των ειδικών ψυχικής υγείας κατά την διάρκεια της πανδημίας του COVID-19. Συστηματική ανασκόπηση
Translated title:
Burn out and distress of mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review of literature
Summary:
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in most aspects of life globally. Researchers have investigated the impact of this circumstance on the mental health of various groups of patients and the general population, as well as of different professional fields, such as health workers. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review the existing data regarding the impact of the pandemic on psychological characteristics and burnout level of mental health workers.
Methods: This review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA guidelines) in order to identify relevant studies. The search was performed based on specific keywords in the Pubmed, Scopus and PsycInfo databases, while the study selection was based on specific eligibility criteria. Studies’ quality was assessed with the application of the Appraisal Tool for Cross-sectional Studies.
Results: The study selection resulted in 21 studies of cross-sectional design. Among the studies, levels of anxiety, stress, depressive symptomatology, and symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress were investigated in mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses). The rates of clinically significant stress ranged from 11.6% to 58.1%, of anxiety from 11% to 63%, of depressive symptoms from 2.8% to 63%. In addition, when assessing post-traumatic symptoms, the percentages exceeding the cut-off points ranged from 12% to 15%. Factors that appeared to influence the aforementioned results included age, gender, and years of work experience.
Conclusions: The results highlighted the negative impact of the pandemic on specific psychological characteristics and levels of burnout in mental health workers. These findings can be the fusse for the design of support programs for mental health workers, as well as training/educational programs which will contribute to the prevention of phenomena such as occupational burnout.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
COVID-19, Mental health workers, Burnout, Stress, Anxiety, Depression
Number of references:
122
