Mental Health Status, Risk and Protective Factors for Healthcare Staff Prior to the First Major COVID-19 Outbreak in Western Australia

Elizabeth A Newnham; Enrique L P Mergelsberg; Jessica Tearne; Peter McEvoy; Susanne Stanley; Antonio Celenza; Hyranthi Kavanagh; Teresa Stevenson; Nahal Mavaddat; Gavin Demore; Sean Hood

doi:10.3389/ijph.2023.1606102

Mental Health Status, Risk and Protective Factors for Healthcare Staff Prior to the First Major COVID-19 Outbreak in Western Australia

Int J Public Health. 2023 Sep 5:68:1606102. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1606102. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Elizabeth A Newnham^{1

2

3}, Enrique L P Mergelsberg⁴, Jessica Tearne^{5

6}, Peter McEvoy^{1

2

7}, Susanne Stanley⁸, Antonio Celenza^{9

10}, Hyranthi Kavanagh⁵, Teresa Stevenson¹¹, Nahal Mavaddat¹², Gavin Demore^{9

13}, Sean Hood^{8

14}

Affiliations

¹ School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
² Curtin enAble Institute, Perth, WA, Australia.
³ François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
⁴ EnBerg Analytics, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁵ Department of Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁶ State Major Trauma Unit, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Clinical Interventions, North Metropolitan Health Service, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁸ Division of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁹ Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
¹⁰ Emergency Department, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia.
¹¹ Peel and Rockingham Kwinana Mental Health Service, Rockingham, WA, Australia.
¹² Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
¹³ Western Australia Country Health Service, Perth, WA, Australia.
¹⁴ Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Mental Health Unit, North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health, Public Health and Dental Services (MHPHDS), Perth, WA, Australia.

Abstract

Objectives: Western Australia's unique public health response delayed the first wave of community COVID-19 transmission for 2 years. We aimed to determine the status of post-traumatic stress (PTSS), depressive, and anxiety symptoms among healthcare staff in major tertiary hospitals, together with associated risk and protective factors prior to the first substantial outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 431 healthcare staff immediately prior to the Western Australian border re-opening in 2022. Staff were recruited via notices in email newsletters, at four tertiary hospitals and a public mental health clinic in metropolitan Perth. Validated and original questionnaires were administered via Qualtrics. Results: Moderate levels of PTSS (22.3%), depression (21.9%), and anxiety (25.9%) were reported. Pathway analyses indicated that sleep difficulties, workplace stressors, and infectious disease training were associated with higher PTSS, depression and anxiety symptoms, and younger age was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. Nursing roles were associated with higher PTSS. Social support and workplace support were associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety but were not associated with PTSS. Conclusion: The findings illustrate high levels of resilience, but indicate a need for structural supports within the health system to foster staff mental health prior to the onset of emergencies.

Keywords: Australia; COVID-19; Health EDRM; PTSD; anxiety; depression; healthcare workers.

MeSH terms

Ambulatory Care Facilities
Australia
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disease Outbreaks
Health Status
Humans
Protective Factors
Western Australia / epidemiology

Grants and funding

We wish to acknowledge funding from the Western Australian Government Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation and the Western Australian Government Department of Health that supported this project. EN was supported by a Curtin Research Fellowship. The funding bodies played no role in the design of the project, collection of data, analysis, interpretation of results or decision to publish.