Predictors of Mental Health Service Utilization among Frontline Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sydney Starkweather (), Jonathan M. DePierro, Saadia Akhtar, Eleanore de Guillebon, Carly Kaplan, Sabrina Kaplan, Jonathan Ripp, Lauren Peccoralo, Jordyn Feingold, Adriana Feder, James W. Murrough and Robert H. Pietrzak
Additional contact information
Sydney Starkweather: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Jonathan M. DePierro: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Saadia Akhtar: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Graduate Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Eleanore de Guillebon: Office of Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Carly Kaplan: Departments of Emergency Medicine and Graduate Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Sabrina Kaplan: Office of Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Jonathan Ripp: Office of Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Lauren Peccoralo: Office of Well-Being and Resilience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Jordyn Feingold: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Adriana Feder: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
James W. Murrough: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
Robert H. Pietrzak: Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: (1) Background: This study examined the prevalence and correlates of factors associated with self-reported mental health service use in a longitudinal cohort of frontline health care workers (FHCWs) providing care to patients with COVID-19 throughout 2020. (2) Methods: The study comprised a two-wave survey ( n = 780) administered in April–May 2020 (T1) and November 2020–January 2021 (T2) to faculty, staff, and trainees in a large urban medical center. Factors associated with initiation, cessation, or continuation of mental health care over time were examined. (3) Results: A total of 19.1% of FHCWs endorsed currently utilizing mental health services, with 11.4% continuing, 4.2% initiating, and 3.5% ceasing services between T1 and T2. Predisposing and need-related factors, most notably a history of a mental health diagnosis and distress related to systemic racism, predicted service initiation and continuation. Among FHCWs with a prior mental health history, those with greater perceived resilience were less likely to initiate treatment at T2. Descriptive data highlighted the importance of services around basic and safety needs (e.g., reliable access to personal protective equipment) relative to mental health support in the acute phase of the pandemic. (4) Conclusions: Results may be helpful in identifying FHCWs who may benefit from mental health services.

Keywords: health care workers; mental health; treatment utilization; psychological symptoms; barriers to care; COVID-19; systemic racism; health services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5326/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/7/5326/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:7:p:5326-:d:1111530

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().