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. 2024 Apr 13;12(1):205.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01714-9.

Burdens and resources of Austrian clinical psychologists: results of a qualitative study two years into the COVID-19 pandemic

Andrea Jesser  1   2 , Agnes Steinböck  1 , Barbara Pammer  3 , Tiam Ghorab  1 , Magdalena Weber  1 , Yvonne Schaffler  1 , Thomas Probst  4 , Anna Felnhofer  5 , Oswald D Kothgassner  6 , Christoph Pieh  1 , Elke Humer  7   8
Affiliations

Burdens and resources of Austrian clinical psychologists: results of a qualitative study two years into the COVID-19 pandemic

Andrea Jesser et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the mental health burden in the general population, enhancing the demands placed on mental healthcare professionals.

Methods: This study aimed to assess the burdens and resources of clinical psychologists that emerged since the beginning of the pandemic. N = 172 Austrian clinical psychologists participated in a cross-sectional online survey between April and May 2022. The burdens and the sources of support that emerged during the pandemic were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Mental health-related issues were identified as the greatest burden, followed by work-related themes and restrictions imposed by the government to combat the spreading of the virus. The most important resources mentioned by the clinical psychologists were social contacts and recreational activities. Practising mindfulness and focusing on inner processes and work-related aspects were further important resources mentioned.

Conclusion: Overall, it seems that clinical psychologists have a high awareness of mental health-related problems related to the pandemic and use adaptive coping strategies to deal with them.

Keywords: Burdens; Clinical psychologists; Pandemic; Resources.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Burdens among clinical psychologists. The percentages of participants reporting one or more burdens in each of the main categories that resulted from the qualitative content analysis of questions 1-3: (Question 1) What burdens you the most at the moment? (Question 2) How do these burdens currently show themselves? (Question 3) If you look back today at the last two years: What effects of the pandemic on your mental health and well-being have you observed?
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Resources respondents accessed to deal with burdens. The percentages of respondents reporting one or more resources in each of the main categories that resulted from the qualitative content analysis of questions 4-5: (Question 4) What helped you to cope with the adverse effects of the pandemic? And (Question 5) Have there also been positive effects due to the pandemic?
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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