Social workers experienced depression during pandemic: Study

WASHINGTON: Concerning rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety among social workers have been uncovered in a new study published in the journal International Social Work. Stressors related to Covid were the strongest factors associated with negative mental health outcomes.

Those who experienced a higher number of pandemic-related stressors -- such as health concerns, increased caregiving responsibilities, violence in the home, family stress due to confinement, and stress associated with work-life balance -- experienced mental health problems at a higher rate compared with those who were not as impacted by pandemic-related hardships.

"Like physicians, nurses and other allied health care providers, social workers are feeling the impact of the pandemic, and it is showing up in their mental health," says lead author Ramona Alaggia, a professor at the University of Toronto's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and the Margaret and Wallace McCain Chair in Child and Family.

"As we celebrate Social Work Week in Ontario March 6 - 12 and National Social Work Month in March, it is important to recognize the stressors that affect social workers and the well-being of those working in this essential field."

An alarming 40 per cent of the sample reported depression -- which is four times higher than the general population.

The rate of reported depression among social workers is also substantially higher than other healthcare professionals working in Covid-related conditions, where the prevalence rate of depression has been found to be 24 per cent.

In total, one-fifth of the sample reported PTSD while 15 per cent reported anxiety.

"As personal stressors among social workers have increased, so too have the needs of those they serve," says co-author Esme Fuller-Thomson, FIFSW professor and director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto.

"With rising rates of domestic violence, child abuse, mental health illnesses and addictions, death rates in long-term care systems, and homelessness, social workers' jobs have become more demanding than ever."