An assessment of psychological distress and professional burnout in mental health professionals in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 628 - 634
• Main Authors: Northwood, K, Siskind, D, Suetani, S, McArdle, PA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-12-2021
• Subjects: Australia - epidemiology; Burnout, Professional - epidemiology; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Personnel; Humans; Mental Health; Pandemics; Psychological Distress; SARS-CoV-2; Australia; COVID-19; anxiety; depression; burnout; mental healthcare worker
• ISSN: 1039-8562; 1440-1665
• DOI: 10.1177/10398562211038906

Objective:
To examine psychological distress and professional burnout in a cohort of Australian mental healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Methods:
This study examined a multi-disciplinary cohort of mental healthcare workers in a large metropolitan service in Australia. Demographic information as well as information on employment and individual’s personal experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was collected and correlated with cross-sectional assessments of anxiety, depression and professional burnout using validated clinical questionnaires
Results:
Mental healthcare workers reported high levels of anxiety, depression, and professional burnout. Participants reported some reduction in anxiety since the early phases of the pandemic, but the reduction was more modest in mental healthcare workers identifying as being “vulnerable” employees.
Conclusion:
Despite the low numbers of COVID-19 cases, mental healthcare workers in Australia report significant levels of psychological distress and professional burnout during the pandemic.