Psychological Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Healthcare Workers: A Case Control Comparison From Three Cross Sectional Surveys

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study is to describe mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and identify roles that predict distress among Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods Using data from three cross-sectional Canadian surveys, we compared 799 HCWs to demographically matched controls and compared HCWs with and without COVID-19 patient contact. Participants completed validated measures of depression, anxiety, trauma-related stress, alcohol problems, coping self-efficacy, and sleep quality. Results Non-HCWs reported more depression and anxiety in Fall 2020 and more alcohol problems in Fall/Winter 2021 than HCWs. In Winter 2020-2021, HCWs reported more trauma-related stress than non-HCWs. As of early 2021, HCWs with direct patient contact reported worse symptoms across nearly all measures than HCWs without. Conclusions Although Canadian HCWs did not report worse mental health than demographically similar peers, mental health supports are needed for HCWs providing direct patient care.