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Cited by 42COVID-19 and Mental HealthHomelessness and Social IssuesHealthcare professionals’ stress and burnout

Mental Health and Wellness of Service Providers Working with People Experiencing Homelessness in Canada: A National Survey from the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Kerman, Nick, Ecker, John, Gaetz, Stephen, Tiderington, Emmy, A. Kidd, Sean·2022·The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1177/07067437211018782PMC PMC9065493
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Abstract

Objective: This study examined the scope of common mental health problems and perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among direct service providers working with people experiencing homelessness in Canada. Method: This cross-sectional study used an online survey that was disseminated to homeless service, supportive housing, and harm reduction organizations and networks. Data were collected on depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction and fatigue, and substance use problems as well as pandemic-related changes in mental health and wellness. A total of 701 service providers completed the survey and were included in data analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the primary research questions, with hierarchical multiple regression models also being fit to explore mental health and wellness differences by occupational service setting. Results: Most direct service providers (79.5%) working with people experiencing homelessness reported a decline in their mental health during the pandemic. There were high rates of common mental health problems within the sample that are largely consistent with those found among health-care workers during the pandemic. Occupational service settings were not associated with the severity of mental health problems, indicating pervasive issues across the workforce, though providers who were younger and spent more time in direct service roles were at greater risk. Conclusions: The common mental health problems and negative impacts of the pandemic among service providers working with people experiencing homelessness highlight a highly vulnerable workforce that could benefit from improved access to supports. Given the similarities between our findings and other studies examining essential workforces, it is recommended that initiatives that provide accessible mental health care to the health-care workforce during the pandemic be expanded to include homeless and social service providers.

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  • High levels of stress are experienced by Housing First service providers.

    “Moreover, given the high levels of stress experienced by Housing First service providers and the challenges associated with using a harm reduction approach, ongoing supervision is necessary for ensuring that case managers are supported in their work (Choy-Brown et al., 2016; Kerman et al., 2021).”

    From Harm reduction outcomes and practices in Housing First: A mixed-methods systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as Kerman et al., 2021

    The Discussion reports that about one-third of surveyed providers working with people experiencing homelessness had moderate or more severe stress symptoms, with mental-health problems appearing across service settings. The paper does not report stress levels specifically for Housing First service providers, so the claim narrows a broader finding to a group the study does not separately identify. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 24

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Authors
Kerman, N., Ecker, J., Gaetz, S., Tiderington, E., & A. Kidd, S.
Affiliations
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CA)
  • York University (CA)
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Corresponding author
Kerman, Nick
ORCID
Venue
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2021-05-20
Volume
67
Issue
5
Pages
371-379
ISSN
  • 0706-7437 (ISSN-L)
  • 1497-0015
DOI
10.1177/07067437211018782
PMC
PMC9065493
OpenAlex
W3163829328
Cited by
42
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 3
FWCI
5.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Discovery Fund (MFE-171228)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Homelessness and Social Issues
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout
Keywords
mental health, COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, substance use, essential workers, supported housing, harm reduction, workplace mental health
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Canada, Cross-Sectional Studies, Ill-Housed Persons, Humans, Mental Health, Pandemics

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