Almost half of nursing home staff reported PTSD symptoms in third Covid wave

Nursing Homes Ireland chief executive Tadhg Daly said a lasting legacy from the pandemic is a realisation of the work being done in nursing homes, and that they are adequately valued and resourced in future. File picture: Pexels

Just under half (45%) of nursing home staff reported feeling symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder during the third wave of Covid-19, a survey has found.

Staff in nursing homes reported high levels of post-traumatic stress, low mood, and suicidal thinking in what researchers say shows the “significant mental health impacts of the pandemic for those working in nursing homes”.

There were also high levels of feelings of moral injury, where an individual feels betrayed by higher authorities or witnesses or engages in acts that contradict their moral beliefs.

The findings come from phase one of a study published by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, Trinity College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons, and Nursing Homes Ireland.

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One in four respondents reported low mood, while one in seven reported thinking of ending their life over the previous week.

The research found that significantly more nurses were found to report low mood than other professions in nursing homes. Healthcare assistants reported a higher degree of moral injury than non-clinical staff.

There was no significant difference across professions in the experience of PTSD symptoms, with non-clinical staff experiencing levels of PTSD symptoms similar to nurses and healthcare assistants.

Declan McLoughlin, consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick’s and research professor at Trinity, said: “Nursing homes have been disproportionately affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular during the first wave; staff have had to contend with high numbers of Covid-related deaths of residents; exposure to the virus; increased visiting restrictions; and disruption to routine activities in their workplaces.” 

Nursing Homes Ireland chief executive Tadhg Daly said the research highlights the “immense personal sacrifices” taken on by nursing home staff during the pandemic.

“Staff in our nursing homes were placed in extreme emergency situations, tasked with coping with intensive pressures that were encountered over extended periods,” he said.

Covid-19 has not dissipated and severe mental and physical pressures remain for nursing home staff, with cases escalating in the community as we face into the winter period.

Mr Daly said a lasting legacy from the pandemic is a realisation of the work being done in nursing homes, and that they are adequately valued and resourced in future.

Researchers plan to repeat the survey to see if these experiences reported during the third wave were replicated following the rollout of the vaccination programme.

The survey included responses from 390 staff working in nursing homes in Ireland. Researchers said the results of this survey are similar to those reported in nursing homes around the world, indicating that this is a common experience globally during the pandemic.

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