A Longitudinal Study on Mental Well-Being, Perceived Stress Level and Job-Related Meaningfulness of Austrian Telephone Emergency Service Counselors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Elke Humer, Christoph Pieh, Ida-Maria Kisler, Wolfgang Schimböck and Petra Schadenhofer
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Elke Humer: Department for Psychotherapy and Biopsychosocial Health, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Christoph Pieh: Department for Psychotherapy and Biopsychosocial Health, University for Continuing Education Krems, 3500 Krems, Austria
Ida-Maria Kisler: ABILE-Viktor Frankl Education Austria, 3390 Melk, Austria
Wolfgang Schimböck: ABILE-Viktor Frankl Education Austria, 3390 Melk, Austria
Petra Schadenhofer: ABILE-Viktor Frankl Education Austria, 3390 Melk, Austria

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 6, 1-9

Abstract: Telephone emergency service (TES) consultants have been challenged even more since the beginning of the pandemic. How the COVID-19 situation and the associated increasing demand for TES services affect the well-being and stress of TES counselors has not been assessed so far. This longitudinal study examined mental well-being (WHO-5), perceived stress level (PSS-10), and experienced job-related meaningfulness (CERES) of TES counselors at two measurement points during the pandemic. From December 2020 to January 2021 (t1), N = 374 counselors were recruited within the Austrian nationwide organization “TelefonSeelsorge”. From those, N = 108 also participated one year later at t2. Neither well-being nor perceived stress differed significantly between t1 and t2. There was a decrease in job-related meaningfulness (from 5.46 at t1 to 5.34 at t2; p < 0.001). The consultants identified loneliness and mental health as the most common problems of helpline callers at both measurement points. The results confirm a stable level of stress and well-being during the pandemic in TES consultants. However, they also show a slight decrease in perceived job-related meaningfulness. Well-being of counselors should be watched closely, as they are an important part of the psychosocial healthcare system.

Keywords: COVID-19; counseling; helpline; job-related meaningfulness; stress; mental well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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