COVID-19 Pandemic and Helsinki University Hospital Personnel Psychological Well-Being: Six-Month Follow-Up Results

Tanja Laukkala, Jaana Suvisaari, Tom Rosenström, Eero Pukkala, Kristiina Junttila, Henna Haravuori, Katinka Tuisku, Toni Haapa and Pekka Jylhä
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Tanja Laukkala: Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Acute Psychiatry and Consultations, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
Jaana Suvisaari: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mental Health Team, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Tom Rosenström: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Eero Pukkala: Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland
Kristiina Junttila: HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Nursing Research Center, University of Helsinki, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
Henna Haravuori: Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Mental Health Team, 00271 Helsinki, Finland
Katinka Tuisku: Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Acute Psychiatry and Consultations, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
Toni Haapa: HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Nursing Research Center, University of Helsinki, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
Pekka Jylhä: Department of Psychiatry, University of Helsinki and Acute Psychiatry and Consultations, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-9

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unequally distributed extra workload to hospital personnel and first reports have indicated that especially front-line health care personnel are psychologically challenged. A majority of the Finnish COVID-19 patients are cared for in the Helsinki University Hospital district. The psychological distress of the Helsinki University Hospital personnel has been followed via an electronic survey monthly since June 2020. We report six-month follow-up results of a prospective 18-month cohort study. Individual variation explained much more of the total variance in psychological distress (68.5%, 95% CI 65.2–71.9%) and negative changes in sleep (75.6%, 95% CI 72.2–79.2%) than the study survey wave (1.6%, CI 0.5–5.5%; and 0.3%, CI 0.1–1.2%). Regional COVID-19 incidence rates correlated with the personnel’s psychological distress. In adjusted multilevel generalized linear multiple regression models, potentially traumatic COVID-19 pandemic-related events (OR 6.54, 95% CI 5.00–8.56) and front-line COVID-19 work (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.37–2.39) was associated with personnel psychological distress but age and gender was not. While vaccinations have been initiated, creating hope, continuous follow-up and psychosocial support is still needed for all hospital personnel.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; hospital personnel; potentially traumatic event; psychological distress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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