The COVID-19 pandemic has been widely reported to negatively impact mental health. This study aimed to determine the extent to which experts from nine countries agree on the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of employees. An online stakeholder survey including five closed-questions, and one open-text question on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and the capacity to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace was completed by 65 experts with minimum 5 years of expertise across a range of sectors, and from nine countries across Europe and Australia, between September and October 2020. The majority of experts agreed that job stress and burden (n=50, 77.4%), depression, anxiety and/or suicidal behaviour had increased (n=45, 69.4%), while the capacity of the workplace to; promote wellbeing (n=34, 52.3%), support employees with mental health conditions (n=33, 50.8%), and for managers to look after their own mental health needs (n=29, 44.6%), had decreased. No between-group differences were found for survey items, with the exception of ‘the capacity of the workplace to promote mental wellbeing’ between country groups, which decreased in western countries (χ ²(1. 31)=11,36; p=.001), and remained the same in Eastern Europe countries (χ ²(1, N=34)= 9.24; p=,002).
Open-text-responses suggested that mental health during COVID-19 was more negative in the healthcare sector compared to the ICT sector in which mixed views were expressed.
The expert survey provides a consensus that mental health was negatively impacted by COVID-19, as were efforts to promote mental health in the workplace.

Authors:
Arlinda Cerga Pashoja, St Marys University, United Kingdom
Asmae Doukani, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom
Evelien Coppens, KU Lueven, Belgium
Benedikt Amman, Consorci Mar Parc de Salut de Barcelona, Spain
Ella Arensman, University College Cork, Ireland
Ulrich Hegerl, European Alliance Against Depression, Germany
Gentiana Qirjako, Centre for Health and Wellbeing, Albania
Naim Fanaj, Mental Health Center, Kosovo

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Cerga Pashoja is a mental health researcher with background in psychology and special interest in the development, evaluation and implementation of digital interventions for mental health.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlinda-cerga-pashoja-40883317/

Connect on ResearchGate
http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arlinda-Cerga-Pashoja

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