Dataset Information

Inequality on the frontline: A multi-country study on gender differences in mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at increased risk for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with prior data suggesting women may be particularly vulnerable. Our global mental health study aimed to examine factors associated with gender differences in psychological distress and depressive symptoms among HCWs during COVID-19. Across 22 countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, 32,410 HCWs participated in the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study between March 2020 and February 2021. They completed the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and questions about pandemic-relevant exposures. Consistently across countries, women reported elevated mental health problems compared to men. Women also reported increased COVID-19-relevant stressors, including insufficient personal protective equipment and less support from colleagues, while men reported increased contact with COVID-19 patients. At the country level, HCWs in countries with higher gender inequality reported less mental health problems. Higher COVID-19 mortality rates were associated with increased psychological distress merely among women. Our findings suggest that among HCWs, women may have been disproportionately exposed to COVID-19-relevant stressors at the individual and country level. This highlights the importance of considering gender in emergency response efforts to safeguard women's well-being and ensure healthcare system preparedness during future public health crises.

SUBMITTER: Czepiel D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10988139 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Inequality on the frontline: A multi-country study on gender differences in mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Czepiel Diana D McCormack Clare C da Silva Andréa T C ATC Seblova Dominika D Moro Maria F MF Restrepo-Henao Alexandra A Martínez Adriana M AM Afolabi Oyeyemi O Alnasser Lubna L Alvarado Rubén R Asaoka Hiroki H Ayinde Olatunde O Balalian Arin A Ballester Dinarte D Barathie Josleen A L JAL Basagoitia Armando A Basic Djordje D Burrone María S MS Carta Mauro G MG Durand-Arias Sol S Eskin Mehmet M Fernández-Jiménez Eduardo E Frey Marcela I F MIF Gureje Oye O Isahakyan Anna A Jaldo Rodrigo R Karam Elie G EG Khattech Dorra D Lindert Jutta J Martínez-Alés Gonzalo G Mascayano Franco F Mediavilla Roberto R Narvaez Gonzalez Javier A JA Nasser-Karam Aimee A Nishi Daisuke D Olaopa Olusegun O Ouali Uta U Puac-Polanco Victor V Ramírez Dorian E DE Ramírez Jorge J Rivera-Segarra Eliut E Rutten Bart P F BPF Santaella-Tenorio Julian J Sapag Jaime C JC Šeblová Jana J Soto María T S MTS Tavares-Cavalcanti Maria M Valeri Linda L Sijbrandij Marit M Susser Ezra S ES Hoek Hans W HW van der Ven Els E

Global mental health (Cambridge, England) 20240304

Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at increased risk for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with prior data suggesting women may be particularly vulnerable. Our global mental health study aimed to examine factors associated with gender differences in psychological distress and depressive symptoms among HCWs during COVID-19. Across 22 countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, 32,410 HCWs participated in the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study between March 2020 an ...[more]

PMID: 38572248

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAs some countries announced to remove Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) border, it indicates that the COVID-19 may have entered its terminal stage. In this COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced unprecedented challenges. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among frontline HCWs lacks a high-quality and long-term systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines. The system searches EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, ScienceNet, and ERIC. Analyze the mental health problems of frontline HCWs in different regions and periods, including insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression. This study was registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42021253821.ResultsA total of 19 studies on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among frontline HCWs were included in this study. The overall prevalence of insomnia was 42.9% (95% CI, 33.9-51.9%, I 2 = 99.0%) extracted from data from 14 cross-sectional studies (n = 10 127), 1 cohort study (n = 4,804), and 1 randomized controlled trial (RCT; n = 482) in 10 countries. The overall prevalence of stress was 53.0% (95% CI, 41.1-64.9%, I 2 = 78.3%) extracted from data from nine cross-sectional studies (n = 5,494) and 1 RCT study (n = 482) from eight countries. The overall prevalence of anxiety and depression was 43.0% (95% CI, 33.8-52.3%, I 2 = 99.0%) and 44.6% (95% CI, 36.1-53.1%, I 2 = 99.0%) extracted from data from 17 cross-sectional studies (n = 11,727), one cohort study (n = 4,804), and one RCT study (n = 482) from 12 countries. The prevalence of stress and depression was higher in 2020, while the prevalence of insomnia and anxiety was higher in 2021. The prevalence of mental health problems among physicians was higher than that of other frontline HCWs. The prevalence of mental health problems among frontline HCWs is higher in South America and lower in North America.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the COVID-19 pandemic have significant effects on mental health among frontline HCWs. The overall prevalence of insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression among frontline HCWs is high. Therefore, the health policy-makers should pay attention to and respond to the mental health problems of frontline HCWs in the context of public health emergencies.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/.

Project description:BackgroundHealthcare workers (HCWs) from COVID-19 hotspots worldwide have reported poor mental health outcomes since the pandemic's beginning. The virulence of the initial COVID-19 surge in Spain and the urgency for rapid evidence constrained early studies in their capacity to inform mental health programs accurately. Here, we used a qualitative research design to describe relevant mental health problems among frontline HCWs and explore their association with determinants and consequences and their implications for the design and implementation of mental health programs.Materials and methodsFollowing the Programme Design, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DIME) protocol, we used a two-step qualitative research design to interview frontline HCWs, mental health experts, administrators, and service planners in Spain. We used Free List (FL) interviews to identify problems experienced by frontline HCWs and Key informant (KI) interviews to describe them and explore their determinants and consequences, as well as the strategies considered useful to overcome these problems. We used a thematic analysis approach to analyze the interview outputs and framed our results into a five-level social-ecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public health).ResultsWe recruited 75 FL and 22 KI interviewees, roughly balanced in age and gender. We detected 56 themes during the FL interviews and explored the following themes in the KI interviews: fear of infection, psychological distress, stress, moral distress, and interpersonal conflicts among coworkers. We found that interviewees reported perceived causes and consequences across problems at all levels (intrapersonal to public health). Although several mental health strategies were implemented (especially at an intrapersonal and interpersonal level), most mental health needs remained unmet, especially at the organizational, community, and public policy levels.ConclusionsIn keeping with available quantitative evidence, our findings show that mental health problems are still relevant for frontline HCWs 1 year after the COVID-19 pandemic and that many reported causes of these problems are modifiable. Based on this, we offer specific recommendations to design and implement mental health strategies and recommend using transdiagnostic, low-intensity, scalable psychological interventions contextually adapted and tailored for HCWs.

Dataset Information

Inequality on the frontline: A multi-country study on gender differences in mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publications

Inequality on the frontline: A multi-country study on gender differences in mental health among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets