The Psychological and Wellbeing Impacts of Quarantine on Frontline Workers during COVID-19 and Beyond

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 12 authors, 11 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

A cross-sectional survey of 106 Australian frontline workers who voluntarily entered hotel quarantine during COVID-19 found that while quarantine was helpful for some participants' anxiety and burnout, many experienced worsened anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, with longer stays associated with significantly higher coronavirus anxiety and fatigue impacts.

Full summary

1,140 CHARS

This cross-sectional online survey collected complete responses from 106 frontline workers who stayed in the Australian 'Hotels for Heroes' voluntary hotel quarantine program between April 2020 and March 2021, assessing sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, quarantine experiences, and validated mental health measures. Mental health problems were prevalent, including moderate anxiety symptoms, severe depression symptoms, and greater-than-usual fatigue impact. A moderate portion of participants reported quarantine was helpful for anxiety and burnout, but many reported negative impacts on anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Workers who spent 14 days or more in quarantine had significantly more severe coronavirus-related anxiety and fatigue. Less than half of participants accessed the most widely available support (wellbeing checks by designated staff). Limitations include potential selection biases, reliance on retrospective recall, and the absence of a comparison group of frontline workers who did not participate in quarantine, making it difficult to separate quarantine-specific effects from broader pandemic impacts.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

psychiatry

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10218533

The Psychological and Wellbeing Impacts of Quarantine on Frontline Workers during COVID-19 and Beyond

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Objective: The current study investigated the experiences, wellbeing impacts, and coping strategies of frontline workers who participated in “Hotels for Heroes”, an Australian voluntary hotel quarantine program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was open to those who were COVID-19 positive or exposed to COVID-19 as part of their profession. Methods: Frontline workers who had stayed in voluntary quarantine between April 2020 and March 2021 were invited to participate in a voluntary, anonymous, cross-sectional online survey including both quantitative and qualitative responses. Complete responses were collected from 106 participants, which included data on sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, experiences of the Hotels for Heroes program, and validated mental health measures. Results: Mental health problems were prevalent amongst frontline workers (e.g., moderate anxiety symptoms, severe depression symptoms, and greater than usual impact of fatigue). For some, quarantine appeared to be helpful for anxiety and burnout, but quarantine also appeared to impact anxiety, depression, and PTSD negatively, and longer stays in quarantine were associated with significantly higher coronavirus anxiety and fatigue impacts. The most widely received support in quarantine was from designated program staff; however, this was reportedly accessed by less than half of the participants. Conclusions: The current study points to specific aspects of mental health care that can be applied to participants of similar voluntary quarantine programs in the future. It seems necessary to screen for psychological needs at various stages of quarantine, and to allocate appropriate care and improve its accessibility, as many participants did not utilise the routine support offered. Support should especially target disease-related anxiety, symptoms of depression and trauma, and the impacts of fatigue. Future research is needed to clarify specific phases of need throughout quarantine programs, and the barriers for participants receiving mental health supports in these contexts.

CITATION EXPORT

Oliver S. Holmes, Steven Ellen, Natasha Smallwood et al.. The Psychological and Wellbeing Impacts of Quarantine on Frontline Workers during COVID-19 and Beyond. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20105853

AUTHORS

12 · 11 CENTRES

Oliver S. Holmes, Steven Ellen, Natasha Smallwood, Karen Willis, Clare Delaney, Leon J. Worth, Shelley Dolan, Lisa Dunlop, Geraldine McDonald, Leila Karimi, Megan Rees, Maria Ftanou

1Psychosocial Oncology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
2Chronic Respiratory Disease Laboratory, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
3Institute for Sport and Health, Victoria University, Melbourne 3011, Australia
4Department of Medical Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
5National Centre for Infections in Cancer, Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia
6Executive Team, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
7Clinical Governance and Strategic Projects, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
8Prevention and Wellbeing, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne, Melbourne 3000, Australia
9Department of Psychology, School of Applied Health, RMIT University, Melbourne 3000, Australia
10Respiratory, Sleep, and General Medicine, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne 3050, Australia
11School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, Australia

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Paul B. Tchounwou