Change in the form of work of psychologists after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, and the subjective mental state of this professional group

Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2023 Sep 3:1-17. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2023.2254600. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIntroductionThe first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland in the spring of 2020 forced psychologists to fight the psychological consequences, which were triggered by drastic life changes among the entire population. This group of professionals had an incredibly difficult role to play in society, the level of their overload in studies was even compared to doctors treating COVID-19. This paper aims to analyze the situation of both personal and professional psychologists in the first wave of the pandemic.Materials and methodDuring the study, 341 psychologists were surveyed using the snowball method (hybrid access). Data was collected between 12 March and 3 May 2020. The study is part of a large project from all waves of the pandemic.Results82.7% of psychologists experienced moderate to high-intensity stress, and 61.29% switched to a remote or hybrid mode of working with patients. Subjectively depressed mood occurred in 16.13%, reduced drive in 27.57%, and dyssomnia in 18.77%. 61.58% had concerns about their professional and/or financial future after the pandemic.The challenges during, as well as after, the pandemic period requires taking care of individual mental well-being from psychologists. This is a necessary condition for undertaking a committed job.PMID:37661633 | DOI:10.1080/10803548.2023.2254600
Source: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics - Category: Occupational Health Authors: Source Type: research