{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T06:16:00Z","timestamp":1788156960091,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788134400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges in the workplace. This exploratory, cross-sectional study investigated the association between occupational activities and mental health.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In 2023, 576 employees from health and social care institutions were surveyed about their occupational situation, their self-assessed ability to work, health-related issues, as well as their mental health and quality of life.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The respondents were predominantly women with an average age of 49 years. Of these, 59% were healthcare workers (HCWs), such as nurses, physicians and therapists. The non-healthcare group mainly consisted of people working in educational or care-related professions, as well as administrative staff. In comparison, HCWs reported poorer work ability (mean 6.9 vs. 7.3) and described a work situation characterized by emotional strain, time pressure and work-privacy conflict. They were also more likely to consider changing jobs or leaving their profession. Around one-fifth of all respondents suffered from moderate to severe mental distress. HCWs also reported symptoms of depression more frequently and a lower quality of mental life.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Employees in medical professions were under considerable strain due to their work during the pandemic. Therefore, the prevention of high levels of mental stress should play a key role in maintaining and strengthening long-term mental health.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1899434","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T05:41:30Z","timestamp":1788154890000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on working conditions and mental health among employees in health and social services"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Claudia","family":"Peters","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Madeleine","family":"Dulon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational Medicine, Hazardous Substances and Public Health, German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Health and Welfare Services","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jan Felix","family":"Kersten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christofer","family":"Hartung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Albert","family":"Nienhaus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Occupational Medicine, Hazardous Substances and Public Health, German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Health and Welfare Services","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anja","family":"Schablon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf","place":["Hamburg, Germany"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"842","DOI":"10.3238\/arztebl.m2021.0376","article-title":"The risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers during the pandemic\u2014findings of a nationwide sero-epidemiological study in Germany","volume":"118","author":"Wachtler","year":"2021","journal-title":"Dtsch Arztebl Int."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"446","DOI":"10.5271\/sjweh.4037","article-title":"Occupation and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among 108 960 workers during the first pandemic wave in Germany","volume":"2022","author":"Reuter","year":"","journal-title":"Scand J Work Environ Health."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"857","DOI":"10.1007\/s00103-023-03738-9","article-title":"Occupational differences of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Germany. 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