Werken aan COVID-19

At the moment, the entire world is confronted with the pandemic spread of the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. The Dutch government has opted for a scenario that focuses on maximum control of the virus. Two important basic rules for all workers in the Netherlands are: 1) work from home if possible and 2) keep 1.5 meter distance. These basic rules have an enormous impact on the working situation of two particular groups of workers: home workers and caregivers. In this project, for these two major groups of workers, the impact of the basic rules on health and well-being during COVID-19 is investigated.
Home workers
From the start of the pandemic, the Dutch government has asked workers to work from home as much as possible. According to the most recent results from behavioral science research of the RIVM, approximately 7 out of 10 workers currently works from home (RIVM, 2021). For these workers, a working day and working conditions have changed completely in the last year. Working from home has changed workers’ daily routine, which may subsequently alter lifestyle behaviors (Xiao et al., 2021), such as more physical inactivity, poorer dietary behaviors, and more alcohol consumption. In addition, working from home also poses challenges with regard to social interaction and maintaining a healthy work-life balance (Bouziri et al., 2020), which may have a negative impact on workers’ mental health. Besides mental health problems, working from home could also result in physical health problems (Tavares, 2017). As many workplaces at home are not ergonomically designed for full-time work, this may increase the risk of musculoskeletal complaints. Taken together, there are first indications based on cross-sectional data that working from home is negatively associated with workers’ lifestyle behaviors, mental health, and physical health (Ekpanyaskul & Padungtod, 2021; Oakman et al., 2020). However, due to the novelty of the current situation, more research is needed to comprehensively study these relations using longitudinal data.
Caregivers
Caregivers, including both healthcare workers and informal caregivers, in most situations continued to provide (health)care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Netherlands, more than one million healthcare workers were active in 2020 (CBS Statline, 2021). Concerns about the mental health of these healthcare workers treating and caring for patients in general and specifically for patients with COVID-19 are now arising (El-Hage et al., 2020). Healthcare workers were affected in a dual sense: not only were they required to continue working, they were also exposed to increased risks and uncertainty due to the nature of their jobs. The impact of this twofold burden is largely unknown. A recent German study reported that healthcare workers were affected by protective measures to avoid spreading the virus, as these impede both patient contact and work processes in general (Weibelzahl et al., 2021). In addition to the twofold burden mentioned, these protective measures impact the way (health)care is provided, which may also lead to stress. At the moment, some rapid or narrative reviews already conclude that healthcare workers have a high occurrence of stress, depression, anxiety or other mental issues during the covid-19 pandemic (Bohlken et al., 2020; Giorgi et al., 2020). However, data from longitudinal studies is scarce and the question on the impact of preventive measures, such as 1.5 m distance rule, on the mental health of health care workers is largely unknown.
In addition to the formal healthcare workers, there is a large group of people in the Netherlands who provide informal care. In 2019, approximately 2 million people provided informal care for at least 3 months or 8 hours per week (Volksgezondheidenzorg.info, 2021). At the start of the pandemic, informal caregivers were not allowed to visit and care for their loved ones, or only to a limited extent. In addition to the uncertainty associated with the pandemic, the emotional burden of not being able to provide good care and fear of contracting COVID-19, is a potential threat to the mental health of informal caregivers (Sheth et al., 2021; Todorovic et al., 2020). As informal caregivers are a pivotal component of our healthcare system who already deal with a high workload, studying their mental health during the pandemic is of particular importance.