Abstract
Telephone emergency service (TES) consultants have been challenged even more since the beginning of the pandemic. How the COVID-19 situation and the associated increasing demand for TES services affect the well-being and stress of TES counselors has not been assessed so far. This longitudinal study examined mental well-being (WHO-5), perceived stress level (PSS-10), and experienced job-related meaningfulness (CERES) of TES counselors at two measurement points during the pandemic. From December 2020 to January 2021 (t1), N = 374 counselors were recruited within the Austrian nationwide organization “TelefonSeelsorge”. From those, N = 108 also participated one year later at t2. Neither well-being nor perceived stress differed significantly between t1 and t2. There was a decrease in job-related meaningfulness (from 5.46 at t1 to 5.34 at t2; p < 0.001). The consultants identified loneliness and mental health as the most common problems of helpline callers at both measurement points. The results confirm a stable level of stress and well-being during the pandemic in TES consultants. However, they also show a slight decrease in perceived job-related meaningfulness. Well-being of counselors should be watched closely, as they are an important part of the psychosocial healthcare system.
Highlights
Accepted: 3 March 2022The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures markedly impact most aspects of daily life, including economy, education, healthcare, mental health, and domestic violence [1]
The current study aims to examine the mental well-being, perceived stress level, and job-related meaningfulness of Austrian Telephone emergency services (TES) counselors
An effect of age was observed for the World Health Organization (WHO)-5 and CERES (p ≤ 0.01), showing higher mental well-being and perceived job-related meaningfulness with increasing age; the perceived stress level was not affected by age (p = 0.069)
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures markedly impact most aspects of daily life, including economy, education, healthcare, mental health, and domestic violence [1]. This public health crisis has been reported to be associated with an increase in depression and other mental health issues [2,3], especially in the youth [4–6]. Telephone emergency services (TES) are an important part of the psychosocial healthcare system [9], providing readily available, confidential, and free-of-charge support in any state of emotional crisis (emergency number 142) [10,11]. The Austrian TES, named “TelefonSeelsorge“, was founded in 1966 to provide strictly anonymous, free-of-charge support that is available at all times, e.g. through counseling and stabilizing in difficult life situations with a special focus on suicide prevention.
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