Distress and burnout in young medical researchers before and during the Greek austerity measures: forerunner of a greater crisis?

A pilot study of the depression, anxiety and stress in Greek military personnel during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a global health crisis which poses many psychological research challenges. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responsiveness and validity of depression, anxiety and stress in a representative cohort of Hellenic military personnel using the short version of the Greek military version of the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire.

METHODS

A total of 158 participants were voluntarily surveyed using an electronically developed structured questionnaire. The anonymous e-questionnaire included a social demographic section and the DASS-21 scale section. It was distributed in September 2020 to the military personnel of the Hellenic Tactical Air Force Units using an intranet network during government restrictive measures due to the COVID-19 crisis.

RESULTS

Our DASS-21 survey indicated a positive outcome at the psychometric level of our military sample population. Age, sex and systemic medications were statistically correlated with anxiety. Inter-correlations between the DASS-21 statements showed that individuals with low-level depression also experienced some degree of stress. Factor analysis indicated the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

The low levels of depression and stress among our military sample population demonstrate the importance of periodic monitoring of the psychometric items of the DASS-21 subscales to design and implement psychological prevention strategies, especially during the ongoing and future healthcare crises.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health: systematic review

BACKGROUND

A rise in mental illness is expected to follow the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been projected to lead to a deep global economic recession, further adding to risk factors.

AIMS

The aim of this review was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous pandemics, epidemics and economic crises on mental health.

METHOD

Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Sociological Abstracts. We included studies of all populations exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar pandemics/epidemics and economic crises, compared with non-exposed time periods or regions. The outcome was mental health.

RESULTS

The 174 included studies assessed mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (87 studies), 2008 economic crisis (84 studies) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic (three studies). Outcomes were divided into affective disorders, suicides, mental healthcare utilisation and other mental health. COVID-19 pandemic studies were of lesser quality than those for the economic crisis or SARS epidemic. Most studies for all exposures showed increases in affective disorders and other mental health problems. For economic crisis exposure, increases in mental healthcare utilisation and suicides were also found, but these findings were mixed for COVID-19 pandemic exposure. This is probably because of quarantine measures affecting help-seeking and shorter follow-ups of studies of COVID-19 pandemic exposure.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of available, accessible and sustainable mental health services. Also, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations should be particular targets of policy interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participatory Action Research for Tackling Distress and Burnout in Young Medical Researchers: Normative Beliefs before and during the Greek Financial Crisis

(1) Background: We aimed to explore Young medical researchers (YMR) normative beliefs and perceived causes of distress and burnout, prior and during the financial crisis in Greece, and to assess their views on Participatory Action Research (PAR) interventions towards tackling these disorders. (2) Methods: A Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methodology was performed in two time periods (prior crisis: December 2008; during crisis: February-March 2017). In both time periods, three different groups (Group 1: females, Group 2: males, Group 3: mixed) of 5-7 participants and two sessions (≈1 h/session) per group took place in each site. Overall, 204 sessions with 1036 YMR were include in the study. (3) Results: Several socio-demographic characteristics of YMR altered during the crisis (lower income, higher smoking/alcohol consumption, etc.). The majority of YMR conceived distress and burnout as serious syndromes requiring professional support. Feeling very susceptible and the necessity for establishing PAR interventions were frequently reported during the crisis. Numerous (a) barriers and (b) cues to action were mentioned: (a) lack of time, money and support from friends/family/colleagues (b) being extensively informed about the intervention, participation of their collaborators, and raising awareness events. (4) Conclusions: The changing pattern of Greek YMR's beliefs and needs during the crisis stresses the necessity of interventions to tackle distress and burnout. Effectiveness of these interventions could be enhanced by the suggested cues to action that emerged from this study.

Association between Burnout, Job Dissatisfaction and Intention to Leave among Medical Researchers in a Research Organisation in Malaysia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Employee turnover could affect the organisation's performance. Job dissatisfaction and burnout have been identified as factors influencing the intention to leave. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of intent to leave, and predictors associated with intention to leave among medical researchers in Malaysia. A cross-sectional, stratified random sampling study was conducted among researchers in a research organisation under the Ministry of Health. Respondents answered an online questionnaire that included sociodemographic information, job dissatisfaction, burnout, and intention to leave. A total of 133 researchers participated. More than one-third (41.4%) of the researchers had a moderate and high level of intention to leave. Burnout and job dissatisfaction were identified as significant predictors. Burnout was noted to have a positive relationship with the intent to leave (β = 0.289, 95% CI (B): 0.287, 1.096). Meanwhile, job satisfaction was found to have a negative relationship with the intention to leave (β = -0.348, 95% CI (B): -0.768, -0.273). Burnout among researchers is quite worrisome as more than two-thirds of the researchers experienced moderate to high burnout. Reducing burnout and job dissatisfaction would increase work performance and produce high-quality research output, hence decreasing the turnover rate.

50 years of radiotherapy research: Evolution, trends and lessons for the future

Rapid and relentless technological advances in an ever-more globalized world have shaped the field of radiation oncology in which we practise today. These developments have drastically modified the habitus¹ of health professionals and researchers at an individual and organisational level. In this article we present an analysis of trends in radiation oncology research over the last half a century. To do so, the data from >350,000 scientific publications pertaining to a yearly search of the PubMed database with the keywords cancer radiotherapy was analysed. This analysis revealed that, over the years, radiotherapy research output has declined relative to alternative cancer therapies, representing 64% in 1970 it decreased to 31% in 2019. Also, the pace of research has significantly accelerated with, in the last 15 years, a doubling in the number of articles published by the 10% most productive researchers. Researchers are also facing stronger competition today with a proportion of first authors that will never get to publish as a last author increasing steadily from 58% in 1970 to 84% in 2000. Additionally, radiotherapy research output is extremely unequally distributed in the world, with Africa and South America contributing to ∼3% of radiotherapy articles in 2019 while representing 23% of the world's population. This disparity, reflecting economic situations and radiotherapy capabilities, has a knock-on effect for the provision of routine clinical treatment. Since research activity is inherent to delivery of high quality clinical care, this contributes to the global inequity of radiotherapy services. Learning from these trends is crucial for the future not only of radiation oncology research but also for effective and equitable cancer care.

The impact of economic recessions on health workers: a systematic review and best-fit framework synthesis of the evidence from the last 50 years

Economic crises carry a substantial impact on population health and health systems, but little is known on how these transmit to health workers (HWs). Addressing such a gap is timely as HWs are pivotal resources, particularly during pandemics or the ensuing recessions. Drawing from the empirical literature, we aimed to provide a framework for understanding the impact of recessions on HWs and their reactions. We use a systematic review and best-fit framework synthesis approach to identify the relevant qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods evidence, and refine an a priori, theory-based conceptual framework. Eight relevant databases were searched, and four reviewers employed to independently review full texts, extract data and appraise the quality of the evidence retrieved. A total of 57 peer-reviewed publications were included, referring to six economic recessions. The 2010-15 Great Recession in Europe was the subject of most (52%) of the papers. Our consolidated framework suggests that recessions transmit to HWs through three channels: (1) an increase in the demand for services; (2) the impacts of austerity measures; and (3) changes in the health labour market. Some of the evidence appeared specific to the context of crises; demand for health services and employment increased during economic recessions in North America and Oceania, but stagnated or declined in Europe in connection with the austerity measures adopted. Burn-out, lay-offs, migration and multiple jobholding were the reactions observed in Europe, but job opportunities never dwindled for physicians during recessions in North America, with nurses re-entering labour markets during such crises. Loss of motivation, absenteeism and abuse of health systems were documented during recessions in low-income countries. Although the impacts of recessions may vary across economic events, health systems, labour markets and policy responses, our review and framework provide an evidence base for policies to mitigate the effects on HWs.