Nursing home staff mental health during the Covid‐19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland

Background Nursing homes for older adults have been disproportionately affected by the Covid‐19 pandemic with increased mortality of residents and staff distress. Objective To quantify the mental health of nursing home staff during the Covid‐19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland. Design/Methods Cross‐sectional anonymous study of Republic of Ireland nursing home staff (n = 390) during the third wave of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Online survey collecting demographic information, Covid‐19 exposure history and mental health measures. Results There were significant differences between nurses, healthcare assistants (HCA) and non‐clinical staff history in age, ethnicity, years' experience, history of Covid‐19 infection and contact with Covid‐19 positive acquaintances. Moderate–severe post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms were found in 45.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 40.2%–50.1%) of all staff. A World Health Organisation‐5 (WHO‐5) wellbeing index score ≤32, indicating low mood, was reported by 38.7% (95% CI, 33.9%–43.5%) of staff; significantly more nurses reported low mood. Suicidal ideation and suicide planning were reported, respectively, by 13.8% (95% CI, 10.4%–17.3%) and 9.2% (95% CI, 6.4%–12.1%) of participants with no between‐group differences. HCAs reported a significantly higher degree of moral injury than non‐clinical staff. Nurses were more likely to use approach coping styles than non‐clinical staff. Work ability was insufficient in 24.6% (95% CI 20.3%–28.9%) of staff. Conclusion Nursing home staff report high levels of post‐traumatic stress, mood disturbance and moral injury during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Differences in degree of moral injury, wellbeing and coping styles were found between staff groups, which need to be incorporated into planning supports for this neglected workforce. Key points There are high prevalences of post‐traumatic stress symptoms and low mood and a high degree of moral injury in Irish nursing home staff during the Covid‐19 pandemic High prevalences of suicidal ideation (13.8%) and planning (9.2%) were reported during the previous week Significantly, more nurses than other staff groups reported poor wellbeing but nurses were more likely to use adaptive coping styles than non‐clinical staff Healthcare assistants reported significantly higher levels of moral injury than non‐clinical staff