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Fostering resilience in healthcare professionals during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2023

Catarina Vitorino Open the ORCID record for Catarina Vitorino [Opens in a new window] ,
Maria Cristina Canavarro  and
Carlos Carona Open the ORCID record for Carlos Carona [Opens in a new window]
Catarina Vitorino*
Affiliation:
PhD Fellow in Clinical Psychology and a researcher at the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC) in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal. Her current research is focused on the examination of adaptation processes and outcomes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maria Cristina Canavarro
Affiliation:
Full Professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and a researcher and coordinator in the Unit of Cognitive-Behavioral Clinical Psychology (UPC3) and the Relationships, Development and Health Research Group of CINEICC at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Carlos Carona
Affiliation:
Academic Researcher at CINEICC, University of Coimbra, Portugal. He is also a clinical psychologist, and a lecturer/trainer in the fields of cognitive–behavioural intervention and developmental psychopathology. His main clinical and research interests include cognitive–behavioural therapy, developmental psychopathology and clinical communication.
*
Correspondence Catarina Vitorino. Email: catarina.alves.vitorino@gmail.com
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Summary

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial negative psychosocial impact due to both the outbreak and the global response to it. As we know from previous health crises, front-line workers are among the risk groups for developing serious mental health problems. As a result of the continuous exposure to highly stressful circumstances, directly in their jobs and indirectly through media consumption and related societal pressures, healthcare professionals are at increased risk for distress, compassion fatigue, burnout and emotional disorders. Recent studies have been revealing specific stressors faced by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, such as limited resources, work overload, fear of infecting significant others and isolation/loneliness. However, research has shown heterogeneity in adaptation to adversities, with many individuals being able to bounce back. Based on this growing evidence, this article provides a clinical working framework to empower healthcare professionals, by critically discussing resilience-promoting strategies along the intra- and interpersonal dimensions of control, coherence and connectedness.

Keywords

Healthcare workersCOVID-19stressburnoutresilience
Type
Article
Information
BJPsych Advances , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , March 2024 , pp. 106 - 115
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

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