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Hospital Chaplain Burnout, Depression, and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Patricia K. Palmer

    (Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Zainab Siddiqui

    (Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Miranda A. Moore

    (Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
    Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • George H. Grant

    (Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Charles L. Raison

    (Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

  • Jennifer S. Mascaro

    (Spiritual Health, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
    Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA)

Abstract

Healthcare personnel experienced unprecedented stressors and risk factors for burnout, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may have been particularly true for spiritual health clinicians (SHCs), also referred to as healthcare chaplains. We administered a daily pulse survey that allowed SHCs to self-report burnout, depression, and well-being, administered every weekday for the first year of the pandemic. We used a series of linear regression models to evaluate whether burnout, depression, and well-being were associated with local COVID-19 rates in the chaplains’ hospital system (COVID-19 admissions, hospital deaths from COVID-19, and COVID-19 ICU census). We also compared SHC weekly rates with national averages acquired by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data during the same timeframe. Of the 840 daily entries from 32 SHCs, 90.0% indicated no symptoms of burnout and 97.1% were below the cutoff for depression. There was no statistically significant relationship between any of the COVID-19 predictors and burnout, depression, or well-being. Mean national PHQ-2 scores were consistently higher than our sample’s biweekly means. Understanding why SHCs were largely protected against burnout and depression may help in addressing the epidemic of burnout among healthcare providers and for preparedness for future healthcare crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Patricia K. Palmer & Zainab Siddiqui & Miranda A. Moore & George H. Grant & Charles L. Raison & Jennifer S. Mascaro, 2024. "Hospital Chaplain Burnout, Depression, and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(7), pages 1-12, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:7:p:944-:d:1438538
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abdulmajeed A. Alkhamees & Moath S. Aljohani & Simindokht Kalani & Amira Mohammed Ali & Fahad Almatham & Afnan Alwabili & Naif Abdullah Alsughier & Thomas Rutledge, 2023. "Physician’s Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-11, March.
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