Psychological Distress of University Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil

Health and wellbeing of staff working at higher education institutions globally during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period: evidence from a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job insecurity, burnout, psychological distress and coping amongst staff working at HE institutions globally.

METHODS

An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. Job insecurity was measured using the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), burnout using the Perceived Burnout measure question, psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise variable selection method was used to identify associations.

RESULTS

A total of 2,353 staff participated; the mean age (± SD) was 43(± 10) years and 61% were females. Most staff (85%) did not feel job insecurity, one-third (29%) perceived burnout in their jobs, more than two-thirds (73%) experienced moderate to very high levels of psychological distress, and more than half (58%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping. Perceived job insecurity was associated with staff working part-time [Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.53 (95% Confidence Intervals 1.15-2.02)], having an academic appointment [2.45 (1.78-3.27)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.86 (1.41-2.48)], perceived burnout [1.99 (1.54-2.56)] and moderate to very high level of psychological distress [1.68 (1.18-2.39)]. Perceived burnout was associated with being female [1.35 (1.12-1.63)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.53 (1.20-1.97)], perceived job insecurity [1.99 (1.55-2.57)], and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress [3.23 (2.42-4.30)]. Staff with multiple co-morbidities [1.46 (1.11-1.92)], mental health issues [2.73 (1.79-4.15)], perceived job insecurity [1.61 (1.13-2.30)], and perceived burnout [3.22 (2.41-4.31)] were associated with moderate to very high levels of psychological distress. Staff who perceived their mental health as good to excellent [3.36 (2.69-4.19)] were more likely to have medium to high resilient coping.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors identified in this study should be considered in reviewing and updating current support strategies for staff at HE institutions across all countries to reduce stress and burnout and improve wellbeing.

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19-related lockdown in university workers. Identifying groups through cluster analysis

Objective

To analyse the COVID-19-related lockdown impact on University workers, to identify groups based on this information, and to study the factors associated with each group.

Study design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

A survey was conducted 3.5 weeks after COVID-19-related lockdown in University workers in Spain. Sociodemographic variables, housing, work, health conditions, levels of anxiety, stress and depression (DASS-21), and social support (MSPSS) were collected. A cluster analysis was performed to identify groups depending on the impact of the lockdown. Differences between groups were tested using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney-U tests, and associated factors with binary logistic regression.

Results

We identified two groups of workers. "G1: Consequences in the daily life routine" was mainly composed of men, Research and Teaching Personnel (RTP) with more stable professional categories, higher income level, and bigger houses than people in G2. Participants in "G2: Concerns for the current and future well-being" presented worse intensity of pain than before the lockdown, more anxiety, depression, stress and less social support than people in G1. ASP (Administration and Services Personnel) had more risk of belonging to G2 than RTP (OR = 5.863). A higher number of people living at home decreased the risk of being in G2 (OR = 0.439). People with lower pain intensity had less risk of being in G2 (OR = 0.014), and this risk decreased as friends support increased (OR = 0.833).

Conclusions

In G1, the consequences were immediately reflected in the stress resulting from changes in their daily work routine. In G2, the concerns were related to their professional future, with worse mental health, greater intensity of pain and less social support.

Remote Working and Home Learning: How the Italian Academic Population Dealt with Changes Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced changes in people’s lives that affected their mental health. Our study aimed to explore the level of psychological distress in the academic population during the lockdown period and investigate its association with the new working or studying conditions. The study sample included 9364 students and 2159 employees from five Italian universities from the study IO CONTO 2020. We applied linear regression models to investigate the association between home learning or remote working conditions and psychological distress, separately for students and employees. Psychological distress was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). In both students and employees, higher levels of distress were significantly associated with study/work–family conflicts, concerns about their future careers, and inadequacy of equipment; in employees, higher levels of distress were significantly associated with a lack of clarity on work objectives. Our results are in line with previous research on the impact of spaces and equipment in remote working/studying from home. Moreover, the study contributes to deepening the association between well-being and telework–family conflict, which in the literature is still equivocal. Practical implications require academic governance to promote sustainable environments both in remote and hybrid work conditions, by referring to a specific management by objectives approach.

Perceived stress, stigma, and social support among Nepali health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional web-based survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused immense psychological distress among Health Care Workers (HCWs). HCWs have been stigmatized by people at their workplace and community, fearing that health care workers are the sources of spreading the virus. This study aimed to assess the perceived stress, stigma, and social support of Nepali health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 380 Nepali HCWs. Perceived stress was measured using Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The questionnaire related to stigma was derived from a study conducted to measure stigma among HCWs during the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak. Furthermore, perceived social support was measured by Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). Associated factors were examined using Chi-square tests followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses at the significance level of 0.05. This study illustrated that nearly half (44.2%) of the respondents perceived poor social support. Similarly, almost 3% of the HCWs experienced high perceived stress, whereas 87.6% perceived moderate stress, and 35% of the HCWs felt stigmatized. Nepali healthcare workers experienced perceived stress, social stigma, and social support in various severity levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 emergency is emotionally difficult and where psychological distress can jeopardize outcomes and affect work performance. Appropriate psychological interventions are needed to promote the mental well-being of the healthcare workers.

Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Measures for Patients Discharged from Acute Psychiatric Care: Four-Arm Peer and Text Messaging Support Controlled Observational Study

Background: Peer support workers (PSW) and text messaging services (TxM) are supportive health services that are frequently examined in the field of mental health. Both interventions have positive outcomes, with TxM demonstrating clinical and economic effectiveness and PSW showing its utility within the recovery-oriented model. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of PSW and TxM in reducing psychological distress of recently discharged patients receiving psychiatric care. Methods: This is a prospective, rater-blinded, pilot-controlled observational study consisting of 181 patients discharged from acute psychiatric care. Patients were randomized into one of four conditions: daily supportive text messages only, peer support only, peer support plus daily text messages, or treatment as usual. Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), a standardized measure of mental distress, was administered at four time points: baseline, six weeks, three months, and six months. MANCOVA was used to assess the impact of the interventions on participants’ scores on four CORE-OM subscales across the three follow-up time points. Recovery, clinical change, and reliable change in CORE-OM all-item analysis were examined across the four groups, and the prevalence of risk symptoms was measured. Results: A total of 63 patients completed assessments at each time point. The interaction between PSW and TxM was predictive of differences in scores on the CORE-OM functioning subscale with a medium effect size (F1,63 = 4.19; p = 0.045; ηp2 = 0.07). The PSW + TxM group consistently achieved higher rates of recovery and clinical and reliable improvement compared to the other study groups. Additionally, the text message group and the PSW + TxM group significantly reduced the prevalence of risk of self/other harm symptoms after six months of intervention, with 27.59% (χ2(1) = 4.42, p = 0.04) and 50% (χ2(1) = 9.03, p < 0.01) prevalence reduction, respectively. Conclusions: The combination of peer support and supportive text messaging is an impactful intervention with positive clinical outcomes for acute care patients. Adding the two interventions into routine psychiatric care for patients after discharge is highly recommended.

Longitudinal Distress among Brazilian University Workers during Pandemics

The present study aimed to examine changes in mental distress in Brazilian university workers during the pandemic. All workers (n ≃ 1850) of an institution were invited to respond to a survey that took place in three stages, with collections in May (n = 407), June/July (n = 258), and August (n = 207) 2020, and included questions on demographic, health, general and psychological support, and psychometric assessment of mental distress (Clinical Outcome Routine Evaluation- CORE-OM) combined with an open question about major concerns. The results of the Multilevel Modeling analysis pointed to the absence of significant differences across the repeated measures of distress. The only variable associated with increased psychological distress over time was a lower level of support for household chores. Qualitative analysis of the reported major concerns was carried out with a sub-sample who showed reliable deterioration in CORE-OM across time (n = 17). The diversity of concerns reported by this group reinforced that work–life imbalance contributes to mental distress of university workers during the pandemic. Low response rate, although not unexpected due to the circumstances, limits the generalization of findings. The present data suggest that in addition to issues related to contagion and specific restricted measures to contain the spread of the disease, the personal reorganization of life required to maintain activities at home and work can be an important contributor to pandemic-related psychological distress.

Teachers' Mental Health and Self-Reported Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador: A Mixed-Methods Study

PURPOSE

This study assessed the psychological distress, life satisfaction, and perceived stress of Ecuadorian teachers who adopted online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aimed to qualitatively report the coping strategies used to maintain their mental health and well-being.

METHODS

A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to mid-August 2020.

RESULTS

In total, 394 teachers completed the questionnaire, and from those, 320 also completed an optional open-ended question included in the survey. More than half of the participants reported taking care of children under 11 years and/or adults over 65 years. At the time of the study, most of the participants were teaching in higher education settings. Age was significantly correlated with all the psychological variables, females presented higher levels of perceived stress, and teachers with home care responsibilities presented higher psychological distress as well as perceived stress. Teachers who had previous training and experience with online teaching presented lower levels of distress, perceived stress as well as higher levels of life satisfaction. The most used coping strategies included seeking social support, exercising, and engaging in leisure activities.

CONCLUSION

The results provide useful information to help develop initiatives that promote teacher well-being. Future studies should consider using a more diverse sample and dedicate attention to work-family conflicts as well as social and structural inequalities that may have a toll on teachers' mental health and performance.

COVID-19 lockdown and lifestyles: A narrative review

Background: The primary objective worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been controlling disease transmission. However, lockdown measures used to mitigate transmission have affected human behavior and altered lifestyles, with a likely impact on chronic non-communicable diseases. More than a year into the pandemic, substantial peer-reviewed literature has emerged on altered lifestyles following the varying lockdown measures imposed globally to control the virus spread. We explored the impact of lockdown measures on six lifestyle factors, namely diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social connectedness, and the use of tobacco, alcohol, or other harmful substances. Methods: We comprehensively searched PubMed and the World Health Organization’s global literature database on COVID-19 and retrieved 649 relevant articles for the narrative review. A critical interpretative synthesis of the articles was performed. Results: Most of the articles included in the review identified the negative effect of lockdown measures on each of the lifestyle factors in many parts of the world. Encouraging lifestyle trends were also highlighted in a few articles. Such trends can positively influence the outcome of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to better understand the negative impact of strict lockdown measures on lifestyles. At the same time, it helps us identify and initiate positive behavioral changes, which, if consolidated, could improve chronic disease outcomes. It is up to governments, communities, and healthcare/academic entities to derive benefit from lessons learned from the pandemic, with the ultimate objective of better educating and promoting healthy lifestyles among communities.

Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (BP-OCS) using a large University Sample in Brazil

We aimed to validate a Brazilian Portuguese version of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (BP-OCS) using a large sample of university students in Brazil (N = 1454). The scale showed solid psychometric characteristics in terms of internal consistency (α = .78), test-retest reliability (ICC = .86), factorial validity (PAF and CFA support), and construct validity. Additionally, BP-OCS scores were found to be higher among females, participants with diagnosed depression, anxiety, and self-reported anxiety. These findings suggest that the BP-OCS is a reliable and valid measure of persistent and disturbed thinking about COVID-19 for Brazilian university students.