{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T14:56:46Z","timestamp":1775573806313,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP) Public Health Agency of Canada","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]},"abstract":"<sec>\t\t\t\n         <title>Introduction<\/title>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>Healthcare workers (HCWs) have reported COVID-19 pandemic-related adverse mental health impacts. We examined the demographic profile of HCWs who self-referred for mental health treatment, how referrals changed over time in relation to waves of COVID-19, what the main problem was for which HCWs sought treatment, and how this changed during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/sec>\t\n\t<sec>\t\t\n         <title>Methods<\/title>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>Five major healthcare institutions provided mental health supports to HCWs across Ontario during the pandemic. Data from May 2020 to March 2022 were collected from 2725 HCW self-referrals regarding referral frequency, main presenting mental health problem and demographic information including ethnicity, gender, age, healthcare setting, profession and whether the HCW had a prior mental health diagnosis or had received prior mental health treatment.<\/p>\n \t<\/sec>\t\t\n\t<sec>\t\t\n        <title>Results<\/title>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>Treatment-seeking HCWs who self-referred predominantly self-identified as female and White. Almost half were nurses, and almost half had received previous mental health treatment; a slightly higher percentage reported a prior mental health diagnosis. Over 60% of the overall sample of HCWs worked in hospitals. The timing of increases and decreases in monthly new referrals roughly aligned with the onset and ending, respectively, of COVID-19 waves. The top five most common presenting problems for treatment-seeking were generalized anxiety\/worry symptoms, depression, situational crisis\/acute stress response, difficulty with stress\/occupational or financial, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/sec>\t\n\t   <sec>\t\t\n         <title>Conclusion<\/title>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<p>Ontario HCWs self-referred to access mental health supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority sought treatment for generalized anxiety\/worry or depression symptoms. Results of this study may inform system planning for future pandemics, as well as for HCW wellness programs for continued workplace stress in the postpandemic period.<\/p>\n\t\t <\/sec>","DOI":"10.24095\/hpcdp.45.2.04","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]],"date-time":"2025-02-10T11:30:41Z","timestamp":1739187041000},"page":"98-107","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Ontario healthcare workers who sought treatment for their mental health during the first five waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: a snapshot of self-referrals across the province"],"prefix":"10.24095","volume":"45","author":[{"given":"Judith M.","family":"Laposa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Duncan","family":"Cameron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Joseph\u2019s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kim","family":"Corace","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Heather L.","family":"Bullock","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lauren","family":"Flavelle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Natalie","family":"Quick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karen","family":"Rowa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Joseph\u2019s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"de la Salle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Katherin","family":"Creighton-Taylor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alice","family":"Strachan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ontario Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Carter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Kurdyak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Saldanha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Randi E.","family":"McCabe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Joseph\u2019s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"10188","container-title":["Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/public-health\/services\/reports-publications\/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice\/vol-45-no-2-2025\/ontario-healthcare-workers-treatment-mental-health-covid-19-pandemic-snapshot-self-referrals-across-province.html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,10]],"date-time":"2025-02-10T11:30:46Z","timestamp":1739187046000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/public-health\/services\/reports-publications\/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice\/vol-45-no-2-2025\/ontario-healthcare-workers-treatment-mental-health-covid-19-pandemic-snapshot-self-referrals-across-province.html"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.24095\/hpcdp.45.2.04","archive":["Internet Archive"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["2368-738X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2368-738X","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,2]]}}}