Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze occupational and personal stressors, mental health indicators, perceived discrimination and help-seeking behaviors among healthcare workers and providers (HCWPs) serving socially vulnerable groups such as immigrants, refugees, farmworkers, homeless individuals, people living in poverty, and other disadvantaged populations in the United States (U.S.) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a cross-sectional descriptive approach, we gathered information between July and September 2020, from a sample of 407 affiliates of two national organizations of clinic-based HCWPs who worked at federally funded and community safety-net clinics. Informed consent was obtained from all participants who completed a self-administered online survey available in English and Spanish. Our results indicated that the HCWPs serving vulnerable groups in the midst of the pandemic experienced high levels of occupational and personal stressors as well as anxiety and depressive symptomology. Major occupational stressors were excessive workload, long working-hours, and institutional barriers to refer and follow-up on their clients' access to needed social services. High-rated personal stressors included sleep disorders, lack of and child-care, partner's loosing job, and other family related situations. Our findings suggest that HCWPs working with vulnerable populations need specialized interventions that bolster their mental health and well-being as the pandemic continues to unfold. We recommend implementing initiatives that encourage HCWPs' to be actively involved in clinic decisions regarding employee safety and protection as well as in management decisions to improve work place infrastructure and capacity to respond to the social needs of their clients. Lessons learned from the pandemic are useful tools in designing protocols for addressing the mental-health needs of HCWPs in health-care organizations that attend to socially underprivileged populations.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated international concern as vaccination efforts continue worldwide and contagion rates persist with new variants endangering the lives of millions
Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, healthcare workers and providers (HCWPs) worldwide have operated under unprecedented pressure to contend with the influx of both types of patients in healthcare facilities: those infected with SARS-Cov-2 and others presenting a diversity of health ailments not directly related to the new virus
The research reported in this study aims at describing the mental health indicators and occupational and personal stressors that HCWPs in the U.S encountered during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated international concern as vaccination efforts continue worldwide and contagion rates persist with new variants endangering the lives of millions. Poor sleep quality occurs nearly twice as frequently among HCWPs as it does in the general population, most likely due to sleep disturbances, which have been linked to depression and distress [9]. Nurses and those who work more closely and for more extended periods with COVID-19 patients seem to be one of the most affected groups [7, 18]
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