A longitudinal study of mental health in healthcare workers in Japan during the initial phase of COVID-19 pandemic: comparison with the general population

Kotera, Yasuhiro; Liu, Gillian; Colman, Rory; Young, Holly; Ozaki, Akihiko; Miyatake, Hirotomo; Kosaka, Makoto; Tanimoto, Tetsuya

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the mental health of people in Japan. Healthcare workers (HCWs) especially suffered from poor mental health, engaging with COVID-19 patients while protecting themselves from infection. However, a long-term assessment of their mental health in comparison to the general population remains to be conducted. This study evaluated and compared changes in mental health between these two populations over a six-month period. Measures of mental health, loneliness, hope and self-compassion were completed at baseline and at six-month follow-up. Two-way MANOVA (Time x Group) identified that no interaction effects were present. However, at baseline, HCWs had higher levels of mental health problems and loneliness, and lower levels of hope and self-compassion than the general population. Furthermore, a higher level of loneliness was found in HCWs at six months. These findings highlight strong feelings of loneliness in HCWs in Japan. Interventions such as digital social prescribing are recommended.

Citation

Kotera, Y., Liu, G., Colman, R., Young, H., Ozaki, A., Miyatake, H., Kosaka, M., & Tanimoto, T. (2024). A longitudinal study of mental health in healthcare workers in Japan during the initial phase of COVID-19 pandemic: comparison with the general population. Current Psychology, 43, 12934-12937. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04444-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 21, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-04
• Deposit Date: Mar 18, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 11, 2024
• Journal: Current Psychology
• Print ISSN: 1046-1310
• Electronic ISSN: 1936-4733
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Pages: 12934-12937
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04444-0
• Keywords: COVID-19; healthcare workers; mental health; loneliness; hope; self-compassion
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/18530671
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-04444-0
• Additional Information: This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-04444-0