Patterns of Mental Health and Resilience among Nurses and Physicians throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Dec 13. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003291. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased difficulties in emotional wellbeing among healthcare workers. The current investigation assesses how changes in depression and anxiety symptoms fluctuate relative to resilience across three time points: baseline, one-year, and two-year follow up among a cohort of physicians and nurses (N = 728).

Methods: Generalized linear mixed modeling for repeated measures was used to assess the association between resilience and mental health symptoms using validated measures for all variables.

Results: The odds of probable anxiety were reduced by 81% for each one-unit increase in resilience ( OR = 0.19, 95% CI [0.14, 0.26]). The odds of probable depression were reduced by 88% for each one-unit increase in BRS ( OR = 0.12, 95% CI [0.07, 0.2]).

Conclusions: Results highlight the importance of developing and implementing interventions that foster resilience among healthcare workers.