Lee-Cheong Stephen, Alaverdashvili Mariam, Jardine Mackenzie, Maharaj Vidhi Shivani, Kolla Nathan
Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W8, Canada.
Department of Public Health, King's College London, London SE1 9NH, UK.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Apr 29;13(9):1025. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13091025.
There is a significant gap in accessibility to mental healthcare in Canada. This study aims to examine the population of Canadian crisis hotline responders and investigate the variables that contributed to burnout and professional quality of life during COVID-19. Crisis hotline responders are hypothesized to be affected by burnout and poor professional quality of life, due to the inherent nature of the job and the widespread negative mental health effects of COVID-19, which are expected to continue even after the pandemic. An online, cross-sectional, mixed-methods survey assessed sociodemographic information, shift-related variables, burnout and related factors, and current support methods utilized by crisis hotline responders across Canada. The open-ended questions helped to more personally reflect participants' experiences. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests, an analysis of variance, and a regression analysis. The survey was completed by 136 participants (78.7% female) with an average age of 39.68. Participants reported relatively high levels of burnout/stress on both the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and professional quality of life survey. Younger age, less work experience, and working overnight shifts emerged as possible predictors of worse mental wellbeing. Findings suggest that Canadian crisis hotline responders require greater support to manage workplace burnout/stress. Nevertheless, conducting comprehensive studies during times when there are no public health emergencies are warranted to understand the full scope of burnout in this population. We offer five recommendations to support the mental wellbeing of responders and improve access to this important public health resource.
加拿大在获得心理医疗保健方面存在显著差距。本研究旨在调查加拿大危机热线响应者群体，并探究在新冠疫情期间导致职业倦怠和职业生活质量的相关变量。由于工作的固有性质以及新冠疫情对心理健康造成的广泛负面影响（预计即使在疫情结束后仍将持续），危机热线响应者被认为会受到职业倦怠和职业生活质量低下的影响。一项在线横断面混合方法调查评估了加拿大危机热线响应者的社会人口学信息、与轮班相关的变量、职业倦怠及相关因素，以及当前所采用的支持方法。开放式问题有助于更深入地反映参与者的经历。数据采用卡方检验、方差分析和回归分析进行分析。共有136名参与者（78.7%为女性）完成了该调查，平均年龄为39.68岁。参与者在哥本哈根职业倦怠量表和职业生活质量调查中均报告了相对较高的职业倦怠/压力水平。年龄较小、工作经验较少以及值夜班成为心理健康状况较差的可能预测因素。研究结果表明，加拿大危机热线响应者需要更多支持来应对工作场所的职业倦怠/压力。尽管如此，有必要在没有突发公共卫生事件的时期进行全面研究，以了解该群体职业倦怠的全貌。我们提出了五项建议，以支持响应者的心理健康并改善对这一重要公共卫生资源的利用。
