Symposia
Disaster Mental Health
Brandon Griffin, Ph.D.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Patrick Coyle, PhD
Assistant Professor
La Salle University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marcela C. Weber, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
North little Rock, Arkansas
Charles Benight, PhD
Executive Director
Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, University of Colorado- Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Andrew Smith, PhD
Assistant Professor
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Hanover, New Hampshire
Numerous healthcare workers (HCWs) screened positive for mental health concerns at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, less is known about their adjustment over time and implications for resilience of the catchment community and healthcare organization. In this longitudinal study, we surveyed physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and other hospital staff (N = 1,468) on five occasions during the first year of the pandemic. Data analysis is in progress, having begun with the use of Growth Mixture Models to identify trajectories of anxiety. Most HCWs reported anxiety that was either consistently below the diagnostic threshold (68%) or decreased following a period of exacerbated distress (16%). Some reported anxiety that consistently exceeded the diagnostic threshold (14%) or increased with time (2%). HCWs who identified as women, were younger, reported having or living with someone who has a weakened immune system, and worked as an allied health professional or clerical/technician/other staff versus as a nurse or physician were more likely to report consistently high or increasing anxiety. HCWs assigned to trajectories characterized by consistently high or increasing anxiety also reported worse occupational health outcomes. Associations between anxiety trajectories and HCWs’ perceived community resilience will be examined. Trajectory classification corroborated the literature that psychological resilience is prevalent, and further revealed unique patterns of “bouncing back” to typical functioning over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications of trajectory associations with occupational health outcomes and perceived community resilience include the importance of prioritizing HCWs’ mental health for organizational resilience in response and recovery from a disaster. Implications for community resilience during the response and recovery phases of a disaster will also be discussed.