Almost half of U.S. public health workers experienced mental health symptoms

Forty-eight percent of American public health personnel reported at least one mental health issue, a small drop from 2021, according to survey responses published in MMWR.

“During March to April 2021, a survey of state, tribal, local and territorial public health workers found that 52.8% of respondents experienced symptoms of at least one of the following mental health conditions: depression, anxiety or PTSD,” Ahoua Konè, MPH, of the CDC’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, and colleagues wrote. “However, more recent estimates of mental health symptoms among this population are limited.”

Konè and fellow researchers sought to examine the amount and prevalence of the above symptoms along with suicidal ideation among this population since March 2021.

The self-administered, anonymous, web-based survey was conducted among a sample of public health workers in U.S. health departments for some portion of 2021. The survey included questions on demographic characteristics, work history, traumatic events or stressors experienced over the previous year, employer-provided resources and self-reported mental health symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, or suicidal ideation within the previous 2 weeks.

Mental health conditions were defined via the General Anxiety Disorder-2 questionnaire for anxiety, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, and six-item Impact of Event Scale for PTSD, with one item from the PHQ-9 to assess suicidal ideation. Prevalence of depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation were stratified by demographic characteristics, workplace factors, stressors experienced and coping mechanisms.

Results showed that 48% of the 26,069 respondents (95% CI, 47.3%–48.7%) experienced symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD, with PTSD the most commonly reported symptom (28.4%) followed by anxiety (27.9%), depression (27.7%) and suicidal ideation (8.1%). The prevalence of depression, anxiety and PTSD among public health workers were lower (3.1%, 2.4%, and 8.4%, respectively) among 2022 survey respondents compared with 2021 survey respondents.

Data additionally revealed, according to 75.5% of public health workers, that their employer had not increased support for staff members’ mental health since March 2021. Among public health workers who did perceive an increase in mental health resources, those considered to be most useful were demonstrating appreciation for staff members’ work (63.4%), telework options (58.2%) and flexible work schedules (55%).

“It is critical for public health agencies to invest in and develop their [state, tribal, local, territorial] public health workforce to address mental health, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD and suicidal ideation,” Konè and colleagues wrote.