(PS1-B27) We Didn't Know What We Were up Against: COVID-19 Response and Frontline Health Care Providers’ Mental Health

Health care providers at the frontlines of the COVID-19 global pandemic experienced risks to their health, mental health, stress, and burnout. It is critical to identify potential mediating and moderating factors that influence these negative outcomes and to inform prevention and policy. Qualitative methods are an important approach to uncover the unique elements of an unprecedented circumstance, and the phenomenological perspectives of health care providers themselves. The current study took place four months after the official commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (U.S.), in which COVID-19 cases were active and on the rise. Communities were social distancing and in quarantine or lockdown. Face masks were mandatory and vaccines were in the incipient phases of development, and not yet available in the U.S. Seven U.S. health care providers actively treating COVID-19 patients participated in 90 minute semi-structured interviews to provide insight about their experiences and its impact on their health and mental health. Data were analyzed using Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012). Participants described salient themes including, their experiences of (1) secondary traumatic stress, (2) fear and prolonged stress regarding the unknown aspects of the virus and its unpredictability, (3) physical exhaustion and injuries from wearing PPEs for extended hours, and (4) challenges with decision-making on distribution of limited resources among patients. Participants identified factors that supported their health and psychological well-being, including self-care practices and structural responses within their healthcare systems. They also provided recommendations on improving the culture of healthcare systems to support and retain medical staff. The study addresses challenges in the complex interplay among individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and environmental factors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for healthcare systems and mental health interventions to mitigate the impact of secondary trauma will be discussed.