News: Over half of healthcare workers report subthreshold PTSD symptoms after pandemic, survey says

The COVID pandemic has been associated with especially high levels of burnout among healthcare workers, and has possibly increased the risk of healthcare workers developing PTSD. In a recent study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, 5.5% of healthcare workers met criteria for probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but 55.3% experienced subthreshold PTSD symptoms (PTSS). The study collected data from the survey answers of 852 healthcare workers from emergency departments and emergency medical service agencies in several states from January 2021 to February 2021, HealthLeaders reported.

From the survey, the study reported the following key findings:

• Nursing and patient support services workers were less likely to be in the no symptoms group and more likely to be in the subthreshold PTSS group compared to ambulance and transport services workers.
• Physicians and mid-level providers reported fewer physical health symptoms than any other job category.
• Nursing and patient support services workers reported more sleep problems than all other job categories. 
• Survey participants who fell into the subthreshold PTSS group and the probable PTSD group were more likely to report health impairment than survey participants who fell into the no PTSS group.
• The adjusted likelihood of having physical symptoms was 1.87 times more likely in the subthreshold PTSS group and 3.38 times more likely in the probable PTSD group than the no PTSS group.
• The adjusted likelihood of having sleep problems was 1.36 times more likely in the subthreshold PTSS group and 1.96 times more likely in the probable PTSD group than the no PTSS group.
• The three most common health impacts reported by members of the probable PTSD group were relatively common in the subthreshold PTSS group: 93.6% of PTSD group reported sleep problems and 69.4% of the PTSS group reported sleep problems, 74.5% of the PTSD group reported constant fatigue and 37.1% of the PTSS group reported constant fatigue, and 72.3% of the PTSD group reported weight change and 46.3% of the PTSS group reported weight change.

Healthcare workers who experience subthreshold PTSD symptoms also experience significant health problems, according to Bryce Hruska, PhD, assistant professor of public health in the Falk College at Syracuse University. “Even though they weren't reporting symptoms indicative of a clinical diagnosis of PTSD, these workers were still feeling its effects.”

Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders’ coverage of this story, click here. To read the full research article, click here.