Psychological Burden of Systemic Racism-Related Distress in New York City Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the relationship among systemic racism, psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and/or post-traumatic stress disorders), and burnout in healthcare workers (HCWs). OBJECTIVE: To determine whether distress related to awareness of systemic racism contributes to psychological symptoms and/or burnout in HCWs. We explored whether this form of racism-related distress may moderate the relationship between race, ethnicity, psychological symptoms, and burnout. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November 19, 2020, through January 11, 2021. Statistical analysis was conducted from May 3, 2022, to June 15, 2022. PARTICIPANTS: Frontline HCWs at an urban tertiary care hospital in New York City. MAIN MEASURES: Distress related to awareness of systemic racism (SR) and racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes (RD), psychological symptoms, and burnout. KEY RESULTS: Two thousand one of 4654 HCWs completed the survey (response rate 43.0%). Most HCWs reported experiencing distress related to awareness of systemic racism (1329 [66.4%]) and to racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes (1137 [56.8%]). Non-Hispanic Black participants (SR odds ratio (OR) 2.84, p < .001; RD OR 2.34, p < .001), women (SR OR 1.35, p = .01; RD OR 1.67, p < .001), and those with history of mental illness (SR OR 2.13, p < .001; RD OR 1.66, p < .001) were more likely to report SR- and RD-related distress, respectively. HCWs who experienced "quite-a-bit to extreme" SR-related distress were more likely to screen positive for psychological symptoms (OR 5.90, p < .001) and burnout (OR 2.26, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that distress related to awareness of systemic racism, not race/ethnicity, was associated with experiencing psychological symptoms and burnout in HCWs. As the medical community continues to critically examine the role of systemic racism in healthcare, our work is a first step in characterizing its toll on the psychological well-being of HCWs.

The Positive Approach to the Psychiatric Assessment: A Randomized Trial of a Novel Interviewing Technique.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study compared a novel communication strategy, the positive approach to the psychiatric interview, with the traditional approach to see if the positive approach can be taught to psychiatric residents; reproduced with standardized patients; measured with a structured scale, the "Positive Approach Outcome Measure," by blinded raters; and used to improve rapport (assessed with the Bond score), a key driver of engagement. METHODS: Thirty psychiatric residents were randomly assigned to conduct two psychiatric interviews with standardized patients. The standardized patients completed the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised, an assessment of the therapeutic alliance. T tests and linear regression examined the effect of the training on the outcome of interest, the Bond score. RESULTS: The Bond scores for the positive approach group (M = 19.27, SD = 2.87) and the traditional approach group (M = 16.90, SD = 3.44) were statistically significantly different (p = 0.05). All residents trained in the positive approach received a positive score on the Positive Approach Outcome Measure while none of the traditional approach-trained residents attained the threshold. The inter-rater reliability for the blinded raters was high (0.857), as was the intra-rater reliability (1.0). CONCLUSIONS: The positive approach can be taught to residents and reproduced consistently and was associated with improvement in a key driver of treatment engagement: rapport. The positive approach may be an important, inexpensive intervention to improve treatment engagement and ultimately treatment outcomes.

A prospective cohort study of the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers in New York City.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe the course and correlates of psychological distress in frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City (NYC). METHODS: A prospective cohort study of FHCWs at the Mount Sinai Hospital was conducted during the initial 2020 surge (T1) and 7 months later (T2). Psychological distress [i.e., positive screen for pandemic-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and/or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)], occupational and personal exposures to COVID-19, coping strategies, and psychosocial characteristics were assessed. Four courses of psychological distress response were identified: no/minimal, remitted, persistent, and new-onset. Multinomial logistic regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with courses of distress. RESULTS: Of 786 FHCWs, 126 (16.0%) FHCWs had persistent distress; 150 (19.1%) remitted distress; 35 (4.5%) new-onset distress; and 475 (60.4%) no/minimal distress. Relative to FHCWs with no/minimal distress, those with persistent distress reported greater relationship worries [19.8% relative variance explained (RVE)], pre-pandemic burnout (18.7% RVE), lower dispositional optimism (9.8% RVE), less emotional support (8.6% RVE), and feeling less valued by hospital leadership (8.4% RVE). Relative to FHCWs with remitted symptoms, those with persistent distress reported less emotional support (29.7% RVE), fewer years in practice (28.3% RVE), and psychiatric history (23.6% RVE). CONCLUSIONS: One-fifth of FHCWs in our study experienced psychological distress 7 months following the COVID-19 surge in NYC. Pandemic-related worries, pre-pandemic burnout, emotional support, and feeling valued by leaders were linked to persistent distress. Implications for prevention, treatment, and organizational efforts to mitigate distress in FHCWs are discussed.

Factors Associated With Burnout Among Nurses Providing Direct Patient Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors associated with burnout in nurses and nurses' opinions regarding interventions to promote well-being during crisis conditions such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Burnout among nurses is prevalent under usual conditions and may increase during crises such as COVID-19. METHODS: Researchers conducted a survey of 1103 frontline nurses in a single New York City hospital during the first (spring 2020) and second (fall 2020/winter 2021) local waves of COVID-19. RESULTS: Burnout prevalence increased from 45% to 52% between the first and second wave. Younger age, female gender, posttraumatic stress, anxiety or depressive symptoms, history of burnout, feeling less valued by hospital leadership, less informed of responsibilities, less certain about duration of enhanced workload, and prepared by prepandemic experience were predictive of burnout in multivariable analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Although some identified risk factors for burnout were nonmodifiable, others may be modifiable by hospital leadership.

Moral distress in frontline healthcare workers in the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: Relationship to PTSD symptoms, burnout, and psychosocial functioning.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the relationship between moral distress and mental health problems. We examined moral distress in 2579 frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) caring for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during the height of the spring 2020 pandemic surge in New York City. The goals of the study were to identify common dimensions of COVID-19 moral distress; and to examine the relationship between moral distress, and positive screen for COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, burnout, and work and interpersonal functional difficulties. METHOD: Data were collected in spring 2020, through an anonymous survey delivered to a purposively-selected sample of 6026 FHCWs at Mount Sinai Hospital; 2579 endorsed treating COVID-19 patients and provided complete survey responses. Physicians, house staff, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, chaplains, and clinical dietitians comprised the sample. RESULTS: The majority of the sample (52.7%-87.8%) endorsed moral distress. Factor analyses revealed three dimensions of COVID-19 moral distress: negative impact on family, fear of infecting others, and work-related concerns. All three factors were significantly associated with severity and positive screen for COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms, burnout, and work and interpersonal difficulties. Relative importance analyses revealed that concerns about work competencies and personal relationships were most strongly related to all outcomes. CONCLUSION: Moral distress is prevalent in FHCWs and includes family-, infection-, and work-related concerns. Prevention and treatment efforts to address moral distress during the acute phase of potentially morally injurious events may help mitigate risk for PTSD, burnout, and functional difficulties.

Modeling the Future of Prevention in Primary Mental Health Care: A Narrative Literature Review.

Introduction: Adults in the U.S. have had poor and worsening mental health for years. Poor mental health exacts a high human and economic cost. Methods: Using PubMed, we conducted a focused narrative literature review on mental well-being and its role in mental and physical health care. Results: Mental well-being is essential for mental and physical health. High mental well-being is associated with a lower incidence of psychiatric disorder diagnosis and better function for those who do carry a formal diagnosis. High mental well-being also improves health outcomes for several physical diseases. Cultivating mental well-being is both a primary and secondary prevention strategy for mental and physical illness. There is a growing number of low-cost and accessible interventions to promote mental well-being, rooted in the research of positive psychology. These interventions improve mental well-being in multiple populations from different cultural backgrounds. There have been some efforts to incorporate these interventions to improve mental well-being in the clinical setting. Conclusions: Our mental healthcare system would substantially improve its ability to protect against mental illness and promote positive function if mental well-being was routinely measured in the clinical setting, and interventions to improve mental well-being were routinely incorporated into standard primary and specialty care.

A Longitudinal Cohort Study of Factors Impacting Healthcare Worker Burnout in New York City During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to longitudinally examine the prevalence and correlates of burnout in frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) during COVID-19 in New York City. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 786 FHCWs at Mount Sinai Hospital was conducted during the initial COVID surge in April to May 2020 (T1) and November 2020 to January 2021 (T2) to assess factors impacting burnout. RESULTS: Burnout increased from 38.9% to 44.8% ( P = 0.002); 222 FHCWs (28.3%) had persistent burnout, 82 (10.5%) had early burnout, and 129 (16.5%) had delayed burnout. Relative to FHCWs with no burnout ( n = 350; 44.7%), those with persistent burnout reported more prepandemic burnout (relative risk [RR], 6.67), less value by supervisors (RR, 1.79), and lower optimism (RR, 0.82), whereas FHCWs with delayed burnout reported more prepandemic burnout (RR, 1.75) and caring for patients who died (RR, 3.12). CONCLUSION: FHCW burnout may be mitigated through increasing their sense of value, support, and optimism; treating mental health symptoms; and counseling regarding workplace distress.

Pre- and peri-traumatic event stressors drive gender differences in chronic stress-related psychological sequelae: A prospective cohort study of COVID-19 frontline healthcare providers.

Women are at heightened risk for chronic stress-related psychological sequelae (SRPS), including major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to potentially traumatic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few studies have examined pre- and peri-event stressors that could account for gender differences in chronic SRPS. To address this gap, we conducted a prospective cohort study of healthcare providers (HCPs) caring for patients with COVID-19 at a large tertiary care hospital in New York City, and measured mental health risk factors and symptoms of MDD, GAD, and PTSD at baseline (April 2020) and at a 7-month follow-up (December 2020). We defined chronic SRPS as the presence of probable MDD, GAD, and/or PTSD at both timepoints. We conducted a mediation analysis to evaluate whether pre- and peri-event stressors explained women's increased risk for chronic SRPS. Among our sample of 786 HCPs, 571 (72.6%) were women. Compared with men, women were twice as likely to have chronic SRPS (18.7% vs. 8.8%, χ2[1] = 11.38, p < 0.001). However, after accounting for pre- and peri-event stressors, being a woman was no longer associated with chronic SRPS (p = 0.58). The pre- and peri-event stressors that accounted for this heightened risk among women included being in a woman-prevalent profession (specifically nursing; estimate = 0.08, SE = 0.04, p = 0.05), pre-pandemic burnout (estimate = 0.11, SE = 0.05, p = 0.04), greater family-related (estimate = 0.09, SE = 0.03, p = 0.004), infection-related (estimate = 0.06, SE = 0.02, p = 0.007), and work-related concerns (estimate = 0.11, SE = 0.03, p < 0.001), and lower leadership support (estimate = 0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.005). These findings can inform institutional interventions to mitigate the risk of chronic SRPS among women HCPs.

Stress, Resilience, and the Brain-Gut Axis: Why is Psychogastroenterology Important for all Digestive Disorders?

In this review article, we show that stress and resilience play an integral role in the brain-gut axis and are critical to symptom expression across all digestive disorders. The relationship between stress, coping, and resilience provides a mechanistic basis for brain-gut behavior therapies. Psychogastroenterology is the field best equipped to translate and mitigate these constructs as part of patient care across all digestive disorders.

We Get by With a Little Help From Our PEERS: The Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, and Support Program for Building Community and Well-Being in Medical Education.

PROBLEM: Physician distress is a growing national problem that begins in medical school. Solutions that teach well-being concepts and coping skills during medical school and throughout medical training are needed. APPROACH: The Practice Enhancement, Engagement, Resilience, and Support (PEERS) program was designed at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in 2017 as a longitudinal program for medical students to process challenges and learn evidence-based coping strategies in a supportive group setting. The curriculum comprises 10 small-group sessions incorporating principles of mindfulness, positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Students remain with the same group of approximately 8 students throughout the PEERS program, which spans all 4 years of medical school. As an established part of the core medical school curriculum, PEERS centers physician well-being as an essential clinical skill for providing sustainable, high-quality patient care. OUTCOMES: Now in its fourth year, PEERS is recognized as an effective, sustainable intervention to support trainee well-being. Cross-sectional survey data collected in 2020 reveal that PEERS has effectively established a space for emotional support and community building among peers and mentors. The program has successfully garnered institutional and administrative support, including protected curricular time and dedicated faculty leadership. NEXT STEPS: PEERS continues to evolve, incorporating feedback in real time to reflect the changing landscape of medical education, particularly in the era of remote learning. Given the demand for well-being initiatives throughout the Mount Sinai Health System, PEERS programming is being adapted and implemented across various residency, fellowship, and graduate school programs at ISMMS with the support of Mount Sinai's Office of Well-Being and Resilience and the Office of Graduate Medical Education. The PEERS program offers an evidence-based, trainee-led model that can be flexibly implemented at medical training programs across the country to support trainee well-being.

Posttraumatic growth among health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant mental health consequences for frontline health care workers (FHCWs). However, no known study has examined the prevalence, determinants, or correlates of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in this population. METHODS: Data were analyzed from a prospective cohort of FHCWs at an urban tertiary care hospital in New York City (NYC). Assessments were conducted during the spring 2020 pandemic peak (Wave 1) and seven months later (Wave 2). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify Wave 1 sociodemographic, occupational, and psychosocial factors associated with PTG at Wave 2, and the association between aspects of PTG with burnout and pandemic-related PTSD symptoms at Wave 2. RESULTS: A total 76.8% of FHCWs endorsed moderate or greater PTG; the most prevalent domains were increased appreciation of life (67.0%), improved relationships (48.7%), and greater personal strength (44.1%). Non-White race/ethnicity, greater levels of positive emotions, pandemic-related PTSD symptoms, dispositional gratitude, and feelings of inspiration were independently associated with PTG. At Wave 2, endorsement of spiritual growth during the pandemic was associated with 52% and 44% lower odds of screening positive for pandemic-related PTSD symptoms and burnout, respectively; greater improvement in relationships was associated with 36% lower odds of screening positive for burnout. LIMITATIONS: Single institution study and use of self-report instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 4-of-5 FHCWs report pandemic-related PTG, driven largely by salutogenic factors assessed during the pandemic surge. Interventions to bolster these factors may help promote PTG and mitigate risk for burnout and pandemic-related PTSD symptoms in this population.

Effects of Sleep, Exercise, and Leadership Support on Resilience in Frontline Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the direct and interacting effects of personal and systemic factors that contribute to psychological distress among frontline healthcare workers (FHCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were collected using a hospital-wide, cross-sectional survey. A multivariable binary logistic regression and relative importance analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with screening positive for C19-distress. RESULTS: A total of 1005 (39.0%, 95%CI - 37.1-40.9%) out of 2579 FHCWs met the prespecified cutoff values for significant symptoms of C19-distress. Fewer sleep hours and lower perceptions of leadership support explained the majority of variance (19.4% relative variance explained [RVE]) in C19-distress, followed by team camaraderie (6.4% RVE), physical exercise (4.9% RVE), and engagement in hobbies (3.2% RVE). CONCLUSION: These results underscore the importance of restorative behaviors as potential targets to help decrease distress and promote resilience in FHCWs.

Downstream consequences of moral distress in COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers: Longitudinal associations with moral injury-related guilt.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the longitudinal associations between dimensions of COVID-19 pandemic-related moral distress (MD) and moral injury (MI)-related guilt in a large sample of frontline COVID-19 healthcare workers (FHCWs). METHODS: Data from a diverse occupational cohort of 786 COVID-19 FHCWs were collected during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and again 7 months later. Baseline MD and MI-related guilt at follow-up were assessed in three domains: family-, work-, and infection-related. Social support was evaluated as a potential moderator of associations between MD and MI-related guilt. RESULTS: A total of 66.8% of FHCWs reported moderate-or-greater levels of MI-related guilt, the most prevalent of which were family (59.9%) or work-related (29.4%). MD was robustly predictive of guilt in a domain-specific manner. Further, among FHCWs with high levels of work-related MD, those with greater perceptions of supervisor support were less likely to develop work-related guilt 7 months later. DISCUSSION: MD was found to be highly prevalent in FHCWs during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and was linked to the development of MI-related guilt over time. Prevention and early intervention efforts to mitigate MD and bolster supervisor support may help reduce risk for MI-related guilt in this population.

Deconstructing stigma as a barrier to treating DGBI: Lessons for clinicians.

Stigma, defined as social devaluation based on negative stereotypes toward a particular population, is prevalent within health care and is a common phenomenon in disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). Characteristically, DGBI including functional dyspepsia (FD) lack a structural etiology to explain symptoms, have high psychiatric co-morbidity, and respond to neuromodulators traditionally used to treat psychopathology. As a result, these disorders are frequently and wrongly presumed to be psychiatric and carry a great deal of stigma. Stigma has profound adverse consequences for patients, including emotional distress, medication non-adherence, barriers to accessing care, and increased symptoms. The basis for stigma dates back to the 17th Century concept of mind-body dualism. Patients and health care providers need to understand the factors that promote stigma and methods to ameliorate it. In this minireview, we address the data presented in Yan et al.'s (Neurogastroenterol Motil, 2020, e13956). We offer concrete solutions for clinicians to mitigate the impact of stigma to optimize treatment adherence and clinical outcomes for patients with DGBI.

Empowered transitions: Understanding the experience of transitioning from pediatric to adult care among adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease and their parents using photovoice.

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers and facilitators of pediatric to adult transitions among adolescents with IBD and their parents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used photovoice to explore adolescent and parent perspectives on transitions in IBD care. Adolescents with IBD aged 14-23 and their parents were recruited from an urban IBD center during clinic visits. Participants completed a survey, took photos, participated in a semi-structured interview, and optionally participated in a focus group. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Two analysts coded interview data for themes using MAXQDA software. RESULTS: Thirteen adolescents and eleven parents submitted photos and participated in an interview. The mean patient age was 19.0 ± 3.0. The mean parent age was 51.5 ± 5.4. Eleven (84.6%) adolescents were Caucasian; 12 (92.3%) privately insured; 4 (30.8%) in high school, 5 (38.4%) in college, and 4 (30.8%) in the workforce. Adolescent transition-readiness, resilience, and IBD-related self-efficacy scores were relatively high, with high agreement between patient self-report and parent-reported children's resilience; parents over-estimated their children's IBD-related self-efficacy. Participants discussed barriers to transitions including psychological distress, disease uncertainty, gut-brain axis-related issues, a lack of understanding by people unaffected by IBD, and frequent life disruptions. Facilitators of transitions included having a disease narrative, deliberately shifting responsibility for disease management tasks, positivity/optimism, social support, engagement with the IBD community, and mental health support. CONCLUSION: Attention to psychosocial issues is warranted during the transition process from pediatric to adult IBD care, specifically related to understanding the gut-brain axis and accessing resources to optimize mental health and well-being among transition-aged adolescents and their caregivers.

Preliminary development and validation of the Patient-Physician Relationship Scale for physicians for disorders of gut-brain interaction.

BACKGROUND: An effective patient-physician relationship (PPR) is essential to the care of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). After developing a PPR questionnaire for patients, we sought to develop and validate an IBS-specific instrument to measure physician expectations of the PPR. METHODS: We conducted focus groups about PPRs among 15 clinicians who treat patients with IBS from community and academic centers. Qualitative analysis was used to generate the Patient-Physician Relationship Scale -Physician RESULTS: The PPRS-Physician contained 35 questions pertaining to interpersonal and psychosocial features considered desirable or undesirable in a relationship with IBS patients. 1113 physicians (22%) completed the survey. Physicians were predominantly middle-aged (mean = 55.1 years), male (85.0%), white (74.5%), and practiced primarily within group settings (61.6%), with an average of 25.7% of their patients having IBS. Factor analysis revealed three relevant factors: interfering attributes, positive attributes, and personal connection. The scale ranged from possible 0 to 100 (mean = 83.8; SD = 8.38). Cronbach's alpha reliability measure of the scale was 0.938, indicating high internal consistency. There was a significant moderate, positive correlation between JSPE and the PPRS (P < 0.001, r = 0.488), establishing concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the development and validation of the first questionnaire to measure physician expectations of the PPR. This instrument can be used clinically, and for future studies on physician communication.

Transdiagnostic Psychiatric Symptoms, Burnout, and Functioning in Frontline Health Care Workers Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Symptomics Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an increased risk of psychiatric symptoms among frontline health care workers (FHCWs). In the current study, a novel "symptomics" approach was employed to examine the association between acute transdiagnostic symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and burnout and work and relationship difficulties in FHCWs at an urban tertiary care hospital in New York City. METHODS: Symptoms of COVID-19-related PTSD (4-item PTSD Checklist-5), MDD (Patient Health Questionnaire-8), GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), burnout (Single-Item Mini-Z Burnout Assessment), and functional difficulties (Brief Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning) were assessed. Relative importance analyses were conducted to identify PTSD, MDD, and GAD symptoms associated with burnout and functional difficulties. RESULTS: The total number of eligible participants included 6,026 presumed FHCWs, of which 3,360 (55.8%) completed the survey and 2,579 (76.8%) of whom endorsed directly treating patients with COVID-19 and provided sufficient responses to our outcome variables for analysis. Feeling tired/having little energy, being easily annoyed or irritable, and feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge were most strongly associated with burnout; feeling tired/having little energy accounted for the greatest amount of explained variance (> 15%). Negative expectations of oneself or the world, trouble concentrating, and feeling easily annoyed or irritable were most strongly associated with work difficulties; negative expectations of oneself or the world accounted for the greatest amount of explained variance (> 9%). Feeling easily annoyed or irritable, negative expectations about oneself or the world, and feeling bad about oneself were most strongly associated with relationship difficulties; feeling easily annoyed or irritable accounted for the greatest amount of explained variance (> 10%). CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study underscore the importance of a transdiagnostic, symptom-based approach when examining associations between acute psychopathology and burnout and functional difficulties in FHCWs. Further work is needed to determine if early interventions aimed at ameliorating specific psychiatric symptoms may help mitigate risk for peri- and posttraumatic burnout and functional difficulties in this population.

Psychological Consequences Among Residents and Fellows During the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: Implications for Targeted Interventions.

PURPOSE: To examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical trainees (residents and fellows) working at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) in New York City (NYC), the initial epicenter of the United States pandemic. METHOD: The authors administered a survey to 991 trainees in frontline specialties working at MSH in NYC between April and May 2020. The instrument assessed symptoms of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder, and burnout. Psychiatric screens were aggregated into 1 composite measure, and meeting criteria on any of the 3 scales was considered a positive screen for psychiatric symptoms. The survey also assessed COVID-19-related exposures, worries, coping strategies, and desired interventions. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to identify factors associated with psychiatric symptoms and burnout. RESULTS: Of the 560 respondents (56.6% response rate), 29.7% screened positive for psychiatric symptoms and 35.8% screened positive for burnout. History of a mental illness, COVID-19-related duties and personal/career worries, and coping by substance use were associated with increased likelihood of screening positive for psychiatric symptoms. Positive emotion-focused coping and feeling valued by supervisors were associated with decreased likelihood. Internal medicine and surgical specialties, a history of mental illness, increased duty hours, duty-related worries, personal/career worries, coping via self-blame and venting, and coping via substance use were associated with higher odds of burnout. Feeling valued by supervisors was associated with decreased burnout odds. The most common crisis-related needs included access to personal protective equipment, food provisions, and financial support. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological distress and burnout affected approximately one-third of trainees sampled during the height of the pandemic in NYC. As the pandemic surged beyond NYC, these findings suggest that interventions should include addressing basic needs, promoting leadership affirmation, moderating duty hours, supporting trainees financially, and enhancing mental health support.

Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Frontline Health Care Workers During the Pandemic Surge in New York City.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to assess the magnitude of and factors associated with mental health outcomes among frontline health care workers (FHCWs) providing care during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 pandemic surge in New York City. METHODS: A cross-sectional, survey-based study over 4 weeks during the Spring 2020 pandemic surge was used to assess symptoms of COVID-19-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in 2,579 FHCWs at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Participants were additionally asked about their occupational and personal exposures to COVID-19. Multivariable logistic regression and relative importance analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with these outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 3,360 of 6,026 individuals completed the survey (55.8% participation), with 2,579 (76.8%) analyzed based on endorsing frontline responsibilities and providing information related to the three outcomes. 1,005 (39.0%) met criteria for symptoms of COVID-19-related PTSD, MDD, or GAD. 599 (23.3%) screened positively for PTSD symptoms, 683 (26.6%) for MDD symptoms, and 642 (25.0%) for GAD symptoms. Multivariable analyses revealed that past-year burnout was associated with the highest risk of developing symptoms for COVID-19-related PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 2.10), MDD (OR = 2.83), and GAD (OR = 2.68). Higher perceived support from hospital leadership was associated with a lowest risk of all outcomes [PTSD (OR = 0.75), MDD (OR = 0.72), and GAD (OR = 0.76). CONCLUSION: In this large sample of FHCWs providing care during the 2020 NYC pandemic surge, 39% experienced symptoms of COVID-19-related PTSD, MDD, and/or GAD and pre-pandemic burnout as well as leadership support were identified as the most highly associated factors. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing burnout and augmenting support from hospital leadership may be appropriate targets to mitigate the risk for developing further psychopathology in this population and others working in the midst of crisis.