Laposa Judith M, Cameron Duncan, Corace Kim, Bullock Heather L, Flavelle Lauren, Quick Natalie, Rowa Karen, de la Salle Sara, Creighton-Taylor Katherin, Strachan Alice, Carter Stephanie, Kurdyak Paul, Saldanha Vanessa, McCabe Randi E
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can. 2025 Feb;45(2):98-107. doi: 10.24095/hpcdp.45.2.04.
Healthcare workers (HCWs) have reported COVID-19 pandemic-related adverse mental health impacts. We examined the demographic profile of HCWs who self-referred for mental health treatment, how referrals changed over time in relation to waves of COVID-19, what the main problem was for which HCWs sought treatment, and how this changed during the pandemic.
Five major healthcare institutions provided mental health supports to HCWs across Ontario during the pandemic. Data from May 2020 to March 2022 were collected from 2725 HCW self-referrals regarding referral frequency, main presenting mental health problem and demographic information including ethnicity, gender, age, healthcare setting, profession and whether the HCW had a prior mental health diagnosis or had received prior mental health treatment.
Treatment-seeking HCWs who self-referred predominantly self-identified as female and White. Almost half were nurses, and almost half had received previous mental health treatment; a slightly higher percentage reported a prior mental health diagnosis. Over 60% of the overall sample of HCWs worked in hospitals. The timing of increases and decreases in monthly new referrals roughly aligned with the onset and ending, respectively, of COVID-19 waves. The top five most common presenting problems for treatment-seeking were generalized anxiety/worry symptoms, depression, situational crisis/acute stress response, difficulty with stress/occupational or financial, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Ontario HCWs self-referred to access mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority sought treatment for generalized anxiety/worry or depression symptoms. Results of this study may inform system planning for future pandemics, as well as for HCW wellness programs for continued workplace stress in the postpandemic period.
医护人员报告了新冠疫情对心理健康产生的不良影响。我们研究了自我转诊接受心理治疗的医护人员的人口统计学特征，转诊情况随新冠疫情各波次的时间变化，医护人员寻求治疗的主要问题，以及在疫情期间这些情况是如何变化的。
在疫情期间，五家主要医疗机构为安大略省的医护人员提供心理健康支持。收集了2020年5月至2022年3月期间2725例医护人员自我转诊的数据，内容包括转诊频率、主要呈现的心理健康问题以及人口统计学信息，如种族、性别、年龄、医疗环境、职业，以及该医护人员之前是否有心理健康诊断或接受过心理健康治疗。
自我转诊寻求治疗的医护人员主要自我认定为女性和白人。几乎一半是护士，且几乎一半曾接受过心理健康治疗；报告有过心理健康诊断的比例略高。超过60%的医护人员样本在医院工作。每月新转诊人数的增减时间大致分别与新冠疫情各波次的开始和结束时间一致。寻求治疗的最常见的五大问题是广泛性焦虑/担忧症状、抑郁、情境危机/急性应激反应、压力/职业或财务方面的困难以及创伤后应激症状。
在新冠疫情期间，安大略省的医护人员自我转诊以获得心理健康支持。大多数人寻求治疗的是广泛性焦虑/担忧或抑郁症状。本研究结果可为未来疫情的系统规划以及疫情后时期针对医护人员工作场所持续压力的健康促进项目提供参考。
