Promoting Resilience in Healthcare Workers: A Preventative Mental Health Education Program

Scarlett S. Ho, Wuraola Sosina, Jonathan M. DePierro, Stefanie Perez, Aysha Khan, Sydney Starkweather, Deborah B. Marin, Vansh Sharma, Jonathan A. Ripp, Lauren A. Peccoralo, Dennis S. Charney

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Healthcare workers face greater risks for mental health conditions and chronic stress due to the demanding nature of their roles. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges and increased vulnerabilities to long-term mental health conditions. The present study adapts an existing resilience-based educational workshop program to address the time constraints and unique needs of the healthcare workforce in a post-COVID-19 world. Expanded from its initial focus on resilience, the workshop curriculum incorporates psychoeducation on common mental health issues. Between July 2022 and June 2024, a 15 min “huddle” format offered on-site training to equip HCWs in a large urban health system with coping strategies to prevent, manage, and recover from stress. Attendance and anonymous feedback were collected at each session via brief electronic surveys. Participant responses (n = 1403) obtained immediately post-huddle suggested positive impact on stress management, perceived leadership support, and resilience. Findings show the potential of brief huddles to improve mental health and resilience in healthcare workers and similar workforces. Our findings support the efficacy of brief, evidence-based educational huddles in enhancing resilience, mental health awareness, and coping skills among HCWs. This model holds significant potential for widespread implementation across healthcare and other high-stress workplaces.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1365
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume21
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2024

Keywords

  • coping skills
  • educational workshops
  • healthcare workers
  • mental health
  • resilience-building

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