A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Utah suggests that more than half of the emergency responders involved in coronavirus care are at risk of developing one or more mental health conditions, including insomnia, alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression and acute traumatic stress.
The scientists discovered that the risk of these mental health problems was similar to rates that had been observed during natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and 9/11.
The corresponding author of the study, Andrew J. Smith, explained that while a majority of emergency responders and health-care professionals weren’t necessarily going to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, they were working under severe pressure daily. He stated that by studying both pathological and resilient courses, the researchers could develop a framework for building evidence-based interventions for both the public health systems and its workers.
The scientists conducted a survey between April 1–May 7, 2020. The survey involved 98 hospital staff, including nurses, doctors, EMTs, and police and firefighters, in the Mountain West. The total number of participants was 571 health-care professionals.
The researchers discovered that 56% of participants were found to have at least one mental health condition. The frequency of occurrence of each disorder ranged between 15–30% of the participants, with depression, insomnia and alcohol misuse at the top of the list.
Charles C. Benight, a study co-author and psychology professor at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, stated that frontline workers were exhausted from coping daily in their work environment and the effects of the pandemic. He explained that worrying about the safety of one’s family while also trying to keep the pandemic under control created stress, trauma or burnout that could bring about the mental health challenges that the researchers observed from these caregivers.
The researchers also found that health-care providers who were either at a greater risk of contracting the infection or were exposed to the virus had a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety and acute traumatic stress. The researchers noted they were surprised to learn that, although there was some level of anxiety, the health-care providers involved in the study admitted to feeling less anxious as they treated more coronavirus cases.
The study also involved researchers from the National Institute of Human Resilience, Salt Lake City and Central Arkansas VA Healthcare Systems, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The study was published in the “Journal of Psychiatric Research”.
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