Monitor Mentale Gezondheid Medewerkers (Monitoring Mental Health Employees)

COVID-19 may have profound impact on hospital workers mental health worldwide. Studies early after the outbreak of COVID-19 reported high prevalence rates of deteriorated mental health in hospital staff, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and insomnia (Lai, Ma et al. 2020, Pappa, Ntella et al. 2020, Rossi, Socci et al. 2020). Howeer, only little is known about mental health of hospital staff in the longer run as a pandemic progresses. Based on previous studies after traumatic events, a resilient pattern, with a low non-increasing level of symptoms, appears most common after stressful events compared to chronic, recovering, or delayed patterns (Galatzer-Levy, Huang et al. 2018). To date, it is unknown whether these patterns also apply to workers that are regularly exposed to stressful situations, and in the case of an enduring pandemic as COVID-19. More insight in these matters may help to target interventions for individuals most at risk for long-term adverse outcomes. The current study therefore aims to investigate trajectories of depression symptoms (primary outcome), anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and insonia (secondary outcomes), and their demographic, workrelated, and psychosocial determinants in hospital staff from two months until 22 months after the COVID-19 outbreak in the Netherlands.

We hypothesize that following the outbreak of the COID-19 virus in the Netherlands mutiple trajectories of mental health problems among hospital employees are observable.

2, 5, 8, 13 and 22 months after the outbreak of Covid-19 in the Netherlands (March 2020). Trajectories will be investigated after Wave 4 and Wave 5 of the data collection.

There is no formal intervention testing. Consumption of supportive interventions are recorded by participant self-report.