Burnout Among Service Providers for People Living with HIV: Factors Related to Coping and Resilience.

Individuals who provide services for people living with HIV (PLWH) face numerous work-related challenges, including psychosocial and structural factors affecting the quality of care that they provide. Little is known about the factors that relate to burnout among service providers for PLWH. The current study seeks to examine the factors associated with burnout and the role of resilience and coping in the context of burnout. Via convenience sampling, data was collected from 28 professionals (e.g., peer counselors, HIV testers, case managers/case workers, group facilitators, or social workers) serving PLWH in the USA. Participants completed quantitative measures on sociodemographics, organizational factors, discrimination, trauma, depression, and burnout. A sub-sample of 19 participants provided in-depth qualitative data via semi-structured interviews on burnout, coping, and resilience as a buffer against the effects of burnout. Thematic content analysis revealed themes on the factors related to burnout (e.g., discrimination, limited financial and housing resources, and COVID-19), rejuvenating factors, coping with burnout, and intervention strategies. Additionally, Pearson's product moment correlations revealed significant associations between mental health variables such as depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomology with (a) discrimination and microaggressions and (b) burnout. The current study highlights challenges to providing HIV care, including structural barriers and discrimination that are doubly impactful to the professionals in this sample who share identities with the PLWH whom they serve. These findings may inform the development of an intervention targeting burnout among individuals providing services to PLWH and motivate change to remove structural barriers and improve quality of care for PLWH.

Changes in Posttraumatic Growth After a Virtual Contemplative Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the effects of an intervention called "Compassion & Growth Workshops" on reported posttraumatic growth (PTG) using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Expanded (PTGI-X). BACKGROUND: Few studies measure the impact of interventions, such as contemplative practices, on nurse PTG. METHODS: We delivered a series of three 2-hour microretreats to nurses and advanced practice nurses and measured their impact on PTG scores. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified cofactors predictive of 25% overall improvement on the PTGI-X. RESULTS: Overall PTG increased among participants, with the greatest improvement in relating to others, new possibilities, and personal strength. Posttraumatic growth improved as workshop attendance increased; nurses providing direct patient care also benefitted the most. CONCLUSIONS: Contemplative interventions can substantively improve PTG. This may be particularly relevant for coping with COVID pandemic stress among nurses on the frontlines and for healthcare leaders seeking to strengthen psychological support within their teams and reform the workplace environment.