Peer-reviewed article
The work of a children’s psychiatric clinic in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in russia
Dovbysh D, Bebchuk M, Zhorina Y, Gimranova E, Timoshenko S et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study surveyed 380 employees at a Russian children's psychiatric clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand their experiences and stress levels. The research compared staff who worked directly with COVID-19 patients (115 people) against those who did not (265 people). The study found that frontline staff relied more on colleagues and family support, used denial as a coping mechanism, and had more positive views of administrative decisions than non-frontline staff. The findings were used to inform personnel policies at the clinic.
Key points
- Professional duty was the main motivation for 25.4% of staff to work with COVID-19 patients
- Frontline staff (G1) showed significantly more denial about their COVID-19 experiences compared to non-frontline staff (G2)
- Frontline staff sought more help from colleagues and relied more on family members
- Relatives of frontline staff were less concerned about their health and future than expected
- Personnel decisions based on the research aimed to improve quality of care for children and families
Limitations
This study focuses on healthcare worker experiences rather than child health outcomes or well-being. The research does not evaluate the effectiveness of the administrative decisions that resulted from the findings, nor does it measure impacts on children's mental health or care quality.
Abstract
Introduction In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare workers experienced significant distress. At the same time, concern for the safety and well-being of employees remained important priorities to ensure the quality of care for children with mental illness. Objectives To study the specifics of the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic among employees of a children’s psychiatric clinic, highlight the existing among them attitudes about the pandemic and form administrative decisions to improve the quality of care for children. Methods 380 employees voluntarily took part in the study (group 1 (G1): 115 people who worked directly with Covid-19 and group 2 (G2): 265 people without this experience) from 05/18/2020 to 05/20/2020. The author’s questionnaire included the following blocks: 1) attitude towards patients and colleagues; 2) emotional experiences; 3) ways of coping; 4) social support; 4) finance. Results The main motive when deciding to work with Covid-19 was the motive of professional duty (25.4% of participants). There are a number of significant differences between group 1 and group 2: participants in G1 are characterized by denial of special experiences associated with Covid-19, seeking help from colleagues in difficult working conditions, reliance on family members and a positive vision of administrative decisions significantly more than participants G2. Relatives of G1 participants are less concerned about their future and health. Conclusions The personnel decisions made on the basis of the research allowed the clinic’s team to provide quality care to children and families throughout the pandemic.