(Press-News.org)
Amongst healthcare professionals, the feeling of being supported in the workplace can protect them against adverse mental health and burnout, according to a new study published in CMAJ Open by researchers at Queen Mary University of London and medical staff at various hospitals across the UK.
CoPE-HCP study was designed, during the early part of COVID-19 pandemic, when there was great concern for the mental health of healthcare professionals with no scientifically-proven mitigating strategies to reduce that impact. Funded by Barts Charity, this new longitudinal study found that feeling unsupported at work was associated with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, insomnia, burnout, and mental wellbeing, compared to those who felt supported. Interestingly, when these people were followed up, those with improved feelings of workplace support were also shown to have improvements in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and mental wellbeing over time.
The study involved two online surveys assessing the rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia, burnout, and low mental wellbeing. In both surveys, it was concerning that 22% of healthcare professionals felt unsupported in the workplace, which rose to one in four (25%) HCPs feeling this just a few months later. Compared to those who felt unsupported, those who felt supported had a decreased risk of depression (58% reduction and 56% reduction at baseline and follow-up, respectively), anxiety (58% reduction and 39% reduction), insomnia (42% reduction and 54% reduction), emotional exhaustion (65% reduction and 55% reduction), and a 3-fold increased risk of good mental wellbeing. Furthermore, improved perceptions of workplace support was associated with reduced depression and anxiety symptoms, and increased mental wellbeing symptoms over the four month period.
The survey also allowed participants to state what types of support they felt were effective or desired. Five overarching themes were generated relating to 1) concern or recognition regarding welfare, 2) information, 3) tangible qualities of the workplace, 4) leadership, and 5) peer support.
Dr Ajay Gupta, senior author, chief investigator and Clinical Reader at Queen Mary and Honorary Consultant in Clinical Pharmacology and Cardiovascular Medicine, said: “This important study not only demonstrates the consistent association between workplace support and mental health and burnout in healthcare professionals, but for the first time it shows that the feeling of being supported significantly protects them against developing mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. We have furthermore demonstrated what constitutes effective workplace support- simple things such as increased visibility of senior leaders and approachability can do wonders, aside from other measures. These findings will be able to inform significant changes in the workplace guidance targeted at improving mental wellbeing in healthcare professionals”.
The study is among the first to evaluate the relationship between changes in feeling supported at work and changes in mental health and burnout over time in healthcare professionals, and identifies the specific workplace aspects valuable to protecting their mental health during pandemics.
Many healthcare professionals in the study desired managers who listened and left staff feeling understood, and they valued consistent clear and transparent information sent on a timely manner. Additionally, adequate staffing was highly important, and qualities such as visible and approachable leadership, and camaraderie and solidarity amongst peers were also valuable.
END
LA JOLLA, CA—A clinical trial carried out at Scripps Research has shown that apremilast, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of psoriasis, cuts alcohol intake by more than half in people with severe alcohol use disorder (AUD). Collaborators at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and other institutions also showed that, in mice, apremilast boosts activity in an area of the brain known to be involved in AUD.
The research was published online ahead of ...
LA JOLLA, CA—The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has awarded scientists at Scripps Research a $10 million grant to study the cellular and molecular changes in the brain that underlie alcohol use disorder (AUD). The grant will fund the Scripps Research Alcohol Research Center (TSRI-ARC) for five years, carrying the research into its 50th year of consecutive NIAAA funding—first beginning in 1977.
“A lot of exciting things have happened in the AUD field over the last 45 years, and the center has been at the forefront of many of them,” ...
New research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) is the first study to show that childhood obesity is associated with an increased risk of four of the five recently proposed subtypes of adult-onset diabetes. The study is by Yuxia Wei, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues.
In 2018, a ground-breaking study identified five novel subtypes of adult-onset diabetes: severe autoimmune diabetes (SAID, including type 1 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults [LADA]) and four ...
Nature has remained in balance for a long time, but climate change due to modern human activities is disrupting the balance of the natural system. The disruption makes it more difficult for humans – who must work with nature to survive – to predict the future. Moreover, developing countries with limited understanding and preparation for climate change are more vulnerable to climate change-driven social and economic damage. Recently, a research team from POSTECH corrected the biases of future regional climate model projection data to ...
Eliminating animal milk alone from the diet of adults with eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, is as effective at treating the disease as eliminating animal milk plus five other common foods, a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health has found. For people with EoE whose disease remains active after they forgo animal milk, a more restrictive diet may help them achieve remission, according to the researchers. These findings were published today in the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
“Diet-based therapy for eosinophilic esophagitis will be much ...
Are our pets leaking information about us?
Pet and animal-related apps are creating cybersecurity risks to their owners, new research has shown.
While being able to trace your cat and dog may be an attractive benefit to many pet owners as it can provide peace of mind, allowing a third party to track your movements may be much less attractive.
Computer scientists at Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London have exposed multiple security and privacy issues by evaluating 40 popular Android apps for pets and other companion animals as well as farm animals. The results show that several of these apps ...
Leading environmental health experts have called for a comprehensive review of the UK's fire safety regulations, with a focus on the environmental and health risks of current chemical flame retardants.
The health dangers of substances meant to improve fire safety have prompted experts to demand a range of new measures to reduce risk.
Flame retardants are widely used to slow down or stop the spread of fire. They are used regularly in a range of products – from sofas and textiles, to building materials. However, hundreds of studies have reported on the adverse effects of these chemicals, many of which are bioaccumulative and have been linked ...
Loneliness can often contribute to depression in expectant and new mothers, finds a new review of evidence led by UCL researchers.
The researchers say people working with expectant mothers, such as in antenatal classes or consultations, should be aware of the importance of loneliness and the value of encouraging new mothers to develop and maintain good social connections. The findings suggest that increased support from family and healthcare professionals can be helpful in reducing the mental health impacts of loneliness.
Published in BMC Psychiatry, the meta-synthesis (an evidence review using a systematic ...
Maternal obesity alters the structure of the placenta (a vital organ that nourishes the baby during pregnancy) more than gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM; a condition is diagnosed by poor glucose control in pregnancy). The new insight, published in The Journal of Physiology, enhances understanding about the mechanisms underlying poor pregnancy outcomes and the subsequent greater risk of poor neonatal and offspring health. The identification of specific changes in the placenta could lead to the potential development ...
Australia’s rarest bird of prey - the red goshawk - is facing extinction, with Cape York Peninsula now the only place in Queensland known to support breeding populations.
PhD candidate Chris MacColl from The University of Queensland’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences led the research project that made the discovery and was shocked by the hawk’s dwindling numbers.
“Over four decades the red goshawk has lost a third of its historical range, which ...
