Improving psychological well-being among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic with an online mindfulness intervention: A randomised waitlist-controlled trial.

The high prevalence of psychological problems observed among healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic called for interventions to safeguard their mental health. We assessed the effectiveness of a 6-week online mindfulness-based intervention in improving well-being and reducing stress among HCWs in Sri Lanka. Eighty HCWs were recruited and randomised into two groups: waitlist-control (WLC) and intervention groups. In the intervention, 1-hour online sessions were conducted at weekly intervals and participants were encouraged to do daily home practice. Stress and well-being were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale and WHO-5 Well-being Index, respectively. One-way analysis of covariance was used to evaluate the effectiveness, in both intention-to-treat (ITT) and complete-case (CC) analyses. A significantly greater improvement in well-being occurred in the intervention arm compared to WLC on both ITT (p = .002) and CC analyses (p < .001), with medium-to-large effect sizes (partial η2 = .117-.278). However, the reduction in stress following the intervention was not significant compared to the WLC group on both ITT (p = .636) and CC analyses (p = .262). In the intervention arm, the median number of sessions attended by participants was 3. Low adherence to the intervention may have contributed to the apparent non-significant effect on stress.

Recommendations for supporting healthcare workers' psychological well-being: Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthcare workers are at risk of adverse mental health outcomes due to occupational stress. Many organizations introduced initiatives to proactively support staff's psychological well-being in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. One example is the STEADY wellness program, which was implemented in a large trauma centre in Toronto, Canada. Program implementors engaged teams in peer support sessions, psychoeducation workshops, critical incident stress debriefing, and community-building initiatives. As part of a project designed to illuminate the experiences of STEADY program implementors, this article describes recommendations for future hospital wellness programs. Participants described the importance of having the hospital and its leaders engage in supporting staff's psychological well-being. They recommended ways of doing so (e.g., incorporating conversations about wellness in staff onboarding and routine meetings), along with ways to increase program uptake and sustainability (e.g., using technology to increase accessibility). Results may be useful in future efforts to bolster hospital wellness programming.

Ageism Healthcare: Implications for the Psychological Well-Being of Atlantic Canadian Healthcare Professionals.

Ageism in healthcare is related to poor outcomes for older patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between ageism and various aspects of the psychological well-being of healthcare professionals in Atlantic Canada. In 2023, an online survey of 294 healthcare professionals from various disciplines was conducted. This survey included items to measure expectations of aging, stress, burnout, emotional dissonance, and well-being. Results indicated that aging expectations were significantly related to burnout, perceived stress, well-being, and emotional dissonance. With the use of a path analysis, emotional dissonance partially mediated relationships between burnout and well-being with stress. However, aging expectations did not significantly predict emotional dissonance. Differences were found across professional groups on ageism. Conclusions support the need for increased awareness to the relationship between ageist attitudes and professionals' well-being, as well as the need for education and interventions to reduce false expectations about the aging process.

Professional quality of life, psychological well-being, and work engagement of healthcare professionals in two Greek hospitals during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of healthcare professionals has emerged as an issue of great concern. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the levels of professional quality of life, psychological well-being, and work engagement among healthcare professionals in two Greek hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2021 in two public hospitals in Greece. To assess the levels of professional quality of life, psychological well-being, and work engagement, respondents completed the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 (ProQOL-V), the Psychological Well-being (PWB) scale, and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17). RESULTS: A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, and 102 were returned (response rate: 68%). It was found that as burnout levels increased, the levels of work engagement decreased (rho = -0.36, p-value < 0.01). Higher levels of compassion satisfaction were associated with higher work engagement (rho = 0.48, p-value < 0.01). Multivariable analysis revealed that healthcare personnel's contact with patients or service users exposed to or who have experienced traumatic events was associated with less positive relationships with others (and, consequently, lower levels of psychological well-being) (p-value = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals in the two public hospitals in Greece, experienced moderate levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their psychological well-being was also found to be moderate, and their levels of work engagement were moderate to high. Supporting the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare professionals is essential for their ability to provide high-quality care in times of crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cansancio emocional y bienestar psicológico en estudiantes peruanos de enfermería durante la pospandemia por la COVID-19 / Emotional exhaustion and psychological well-being in Peruvian Nursing students during COVID-19 post-pandemic

Introducción: La pandemia por la COVID-19 ocasionó una serie de repercusiones y cambios drásticos en la salud mental de los estudiantes de pregrado, como el cansancio emocional, lo cual pudo afectar su bienestar psicológico. Objetivo: Determinar si existe relación entre el cansancio emocional y el bienestar psicológico de los estudiantes de la carrera profesional de enfermería. Método: El enfoque fue cuantitativo, el diseño no experimental y el tipo, descriptivo-correlacional de corte transversal. La muestra estuvo conformada por 184 estudiantes a quienes se les aplicó la Escala de Cansancio Emocional y la Escala de Bienestar Psicológico para Adultos, instrumentos adaptados para estudiantes y con adecuados niveles de validez basada en el contenido y confiabilidad. Para identificar la relación entre las variables de estudio se aplicó el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson. Resultados: El 63 por ciento de los estudiantes evidenciaron niveles moderados de cansancio emocional y el 75 por ciento tuvieron altos niveles de bienestar psicológico. Por otro lado, se observó una correlación inversa entre las variables cansancio emocional y bienestar psicológico (r= -0,267; p< 0,05). Asimismo, se encontró que las mujeres presentaron mayores niveles de cansancio emocional que los varones. Conclusiones: Existe relación inversa y significativa entre el cansancio emocional y el bienestar psicológico de los estudiantes de Enfermería durante la pospandemia(AU)

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a series of repercussions and drastic changes in the mental health of undergraduate students, such as emotional exhaustion, which would have affected their psychological well-being. Objective: To determine if there is a relationship between emotional exhaustion and the psychological well-being of Nursing students. Method: The approach was quantitative, the design was non-experimental and the type was descriptive - correlational, cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 184 students to whom the Emotional Fatigue Scale and the Psychological Well-Being Scale for Adults were applied, instruments adapted for students and with adequate levels of validity based on content and reliability. To identify the relationship between the study variables, the Pearson correlation coefficient was applied. Results: 63 percent of the students showed moderate levels of emotional exhaustion and 75 percent had high levels of psychological well-being. On the other hand, an inverse correlation was observed between the variables emotional exhaustion, and psychological well-being (r= -0.267; p< 0.05). Likewise, it was found that women presented higher levels of emotional exhaustion than men. Conclusions: There is an inverse and significant relationship between emotional exhaustion and the psychological well-being of Nursing students during the post-pandemic(AU)