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. 2022 Apr;16(2):767-769.
doi: 10.1017/dmp.2020.395. Epub 2020 Oct 22.

Leadership Principles to Decrease Psychological Casualties in COVID-19 and Other Disasters of Uncertainty

George S Everly  1   2 , Albert W Wu  3   4 , Carolyn J Cumpsty-Fowler  3   5 , Deborah Dang  5 , James B Potash  2   6
Affiliations

Leadership Principles to Decrease Psychological Casualties in COVID-19 and Other Disasters of Uncertainty

George S Everly et al. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a "disaster of uncertainty" with ambiguity about its nature and trajectory. These features amplify its psychological toxicity and increase the number of psychological casualties it inflicts. Uncertainty was fueled by lack of knowledge about the lethality of a disaster, its duration, and ambiguity in messaging from leaders and health care authorities. Human resilience can have a buffering effect on the psychological impact. Experts have advocated "flattening the curve" to slow the spread of the infection. Our strategy for crisis leadership is focused on flattening the rise in psychological casualties by increasing resilience among health care workers. This paper describes an approach employed at Johns Hopkins to promote and enhance crisis leadership. The approach is based on 4 factors: vision for the future, decisiveness, effective communication, and following a moral compass. We make specific actionable recommendations for implementing these factors that are being disseminated to frontline leaders and managers. The COVID-19 pandemic is destined to have a strong psychological impact that extends far beyond the end of quarantine. Following these guidelines has the potential to build resilience and thus reduce the number of psychological casualties and speed the return to normal - or at least the new normal in the post-COVID world.

Keywords: COVID-19; crisis leadership; disaster; psychological casualties; resilience.

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