Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health of Health Education Specialists

The physical, mental, and professional impacts of the pandemic on healthcare and public health workers have been widely discussed in the media and the scientific literature, but what is known about health education specialists (HES) appears to be far less. To address this gap, a brief online survey including questions from the PHQ-9 Depression Questionnaire, General Anxiety Disorder Scale, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale, Brief COPE, the Transtheoretical Model, and the Health Belief Model, was sent to certified (CHES®) and master certified (MCHES®) HES. Of the 11,743 successfully delivered, 1,480 (13%) were completed. The overwhelmingly female (89%), white (71.5%), non-Hispanic (86%), respondents reported being employed full-time (80.7%) and holding at least a master’s degree (77.7%). Though approximately half of participants reported at least some level of anxiety, worry, trouble sleeping, tiredness, poor appetite or overeating, trouble concentrating, depression, and/or little interest in doing things, the majority had not sought treatment. Not surprisingly, there was a significant correlation between those who reported a notable increase in COVID-19 work hours and those who felt nervous, anxious, or on edge over the last two weeks (r=8.5, p<.05). HES frequently turned to various forms of healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms besides professional treatment. These findings are important both to document the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the HES workforce, as well as to highlight the ways employers can offer appropriate support to those needing mental health interventions.