Work-related factors of mental health among Chicago residents two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publisher: Informa Healthcare Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101189458 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-9632 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15459624 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Occup Environ Hyg Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: London : Informa Healthcare
Original Publication: Philadelphia, PA : Taylor and Francis, c2004-

COVID-19*/psychology ; COVID-19*/epidemiology ; Mental Health* ; SARS-CoV-2*; Humans ; Chicago/epidemiology ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace/psychology ; Young Adult ; Aged ; Occupational Stress/epidemiology ; Occupational Stress/psychology ; Pandemics ; Adolescent ; Depression/epidemiology ; Stress, Psychological/epidemiology ; Anxiety/epidemiology ; Psychological Distress

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread consequences for economic, social, and general wellbeing with rates of anxiety and depression increasing across the population and disproportionately for some workers. This study explored which factors were the most salient contributors to mental health through a cross-sectional 68-item questionnaire that addressed topics related to the pandemic. Data were collected through an address-based sampling frame over the two months from April 2022 to June 2022. A total of 2,049 completed surveys were collected throughout Chicago's 77 Community Areas. Descriptive statistics including frequency and percentages were generated to describe workplace characteristics, work-related stress, and sample demographics and their relationship to psychological distress. Independent participant and workplace factors associated with the outcomes were identified using multivariable logistic regression. The weighted prevalence of persons experiencing some form of psychological distress from mild to serious was 32%. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, certain marginalized communities experienced psychological distress more than others including females, adults over the age of 25 years of age, and people with higher income levels. Those who had been laid off, lost pay, or had reduced hours had increased odds of psychological distress (aOR = 1.71, CI 95% 1.14-2.56; p  = 0.009) as did people that reported that their work-related stress was somewhat or much worse as compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (aOR = 2.22, CI 95% 1.02-4.82; p  = 0.04, aOR = 11.0, CI 95% 4.65-26.1; p  < 0.001, respectively). These results warrant further investigation and consideration in developing workplace and mental health interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chicago; psychological distress; work-related factors

Date Created: 20240401 Date Completed: 20240506 Latest Revision: 20240529

20240529

10.1080/15459624.2024.2323108

38560920