Mental health impact of COVID-19 pandemic on therapists at an inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Background: Healthcare workers have faced extraordinary work-related stress in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology providers at inpatient rehabilitation facilities may represent a distinct at-risk subgroup for work-related stress during the pandemic due to the usual nature of their job duties, including close physical contact and extended treatment times.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work-related stress and occurrence of depression and anxiety in physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists during the first surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Academic, freestanding inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Participants: Survey responses were collected from 38 therapists.

Intervention: A 26-item electronic questionnaire containing a mix of multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

Main Outcome Measures: Positive screens for depression or anxiety as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the General Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, respectively.

Results: Seven individuals (19%) scored at or above the clinically significant cutoff of 10 on each the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, corresponding to increased risk for depression and anxiety. Therapists younger than 30 years old had significantly higher GAD-7 scores compared to therapists between 30-39 years old (p < .05). Occupational stress was attributed to a number of causes including concerns for health and safety, unpredictable changes in hospital protocols and work assignments, acquisition of additional work duties, concerns about the ability to provide high-quality patient care in a restricted environment, and the psychological toll of caring for patients with or recovering from COVID-19.

Conclusion: This cross-sectional survey highlights the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational stress and mental health of therapists working at an inpatient rehabilitation facility during the first surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. This research may help institutions identify at-risk individuals who may benefit from support and guide policy changes to resolve potentially modifiable factors at a systems level.