■很少直接报告工作人员在集体家庭中工作的经历,这些人患有严重精神疾病(SMI)和/或智力或发育障碍(ID/DD)。从工人那里听到他们在COVID-19大流行中的经历可能会为未来的劳动力和公共政策提供信息。
在启动干预措施以减轻COVID-19的传播之前,收集有关工人经验的基线数据,了解COVID-19对健康和工作的影响,并按性别衡量工人经验的差异,种族,种族,教育,以及所服务的常住人口(患有SMI和/或IDD/DD的人)。
■这种混合模式,横断面调查研究是在大流行的第一年结束时,在2021年5月至9月,使用在线和纸质自我管理进行的.调查了在415个团体家庭中工作的工作人员,这些家庭在马萨诸塞州的6个组织中为18岁或18岁以上的SMI和/或ID/DD的成年人提供护理。合格的调查人口包括在研究期间目前受雇于参与团体之家的工作人员的人口普查。共有1468名工作人员完成或部分完成调查。总体调查回复率为44%(按组织划分,20%到52%)。
■自我报告的经验结果是在工作中测量的,健康,疫苗完成。双变量和多变量分析按性别探索经验,种族,种族,教育,对专家和雇主的信任,和人口服务。
■研究人群包括1468名家庭工作人员(864[58.9%]名女性;818[55.7%]非西班牙裔黑人;98[6.7%]西班牙裔或拉丁裔)。共有331名(22.5%)家庭工作人员报告对健康有非常严重的感知影响;438名(29.8%)报告对心理健康有非常严重的感知影响;471名(32.1%)报告对家人和朋友的健康有非常严重的感知影响;414名报告对获得保健服务有非常严重的感知影响(28.2%)。按种族和民族观察到统计学上的显著差异。受教育程度较高和对科学专业知识信任的人的疫苗接受度较高,而自我报告为黑人或西班牙裔/拉丁裔的人的疫苗接受度较低。共有392名(26.7%)受访者表示需要为健康需求提供支持,290名(19.8%)受访者表示需要支持孤独或孤立。
■在这项调查研究中,在马萨诸塞州COVID-19大流行的第一年,大约三分之一的家庭工作人员报告了严重的个人健康状况和获得医疗保健的障碍。解决未满足的健康需求以及获得健康和心理健康服务的机会,包括不平等和种族差异,种族,和教育,应该有利于员工的健康和安全,以及依赖他们支持和照顾的残疾人。
Direct reports of the experiences of staff working in group homes for people with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are rarely reported. Hearing from workers about their experiences in the COVID-19 pandemic may inform future workforce and public policy.
To gather baseline data on worker experience with the perceived effects of COVID-19 on health and work in the pandemic prior to initiating an intervention to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to measure differences in worker experience by gender, race, ethnicity, education, and resident population served (persons with SMI and/or IDD/DD).
This mixed-mode, cross-sectional survey study was conducted using online then paper-based self-administration from May to September 2021 at the end of the first year of the pandemic. Staff working in 415 group homes that provided care within 6 Massachusetts organizations serving adults aged 18 years or older with SMI and/or ID/DD were surveyed. The eligible survey population included a census of staff who were currently employed in participating group homes during the study period. A total of 1468 staff completed or partially completed surveys. The overall survey response rate was 44% (range by organization, 20% to 52%).
Self-reported experiential outcomes were measured in work, health, and vaccine completion. Bivariate and multivariate analyses explore experiences by gender, race, ethnicity, education, trust in experts and employers, and population served.
The study population included 1468 group home staff (864 [58.9%] women; 818 [55.7%] non-Hispanic Black; 98 [6.7%] Hispanic or Latino). A total of 331 (22.5%) group home staff members reported very serious perceived effects on health; 438 (29.8%) reported very serious perceived effects on mental health; 471 (32.1%) reported very serious perceived effects on health of family and friends; and 414 reported very serious perceived effects (28.2%) on access to health services, with statistically significant differences observed by race and ethnicity. Vaccine acceptance was higher among persons with higher educational attainment and trust in scientific expertise and lower among persons who self-reported as Black or Hispanic/Latino. A total of 392 (26.7%) respondents reported needing support for health needs, and 290 (19.8%) respondents reported needing support for loneliness or isolation.
In this survey study, approximately one-third of group home workers reported serious personal health and access to health care barriers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts. Addressing unmet health needs and access to health and mental health services, including inequities and disparities by race, ethnicity, and education, should benefit staff health and safety, as well as that of the individuals with disabilities who rely on them for support and care.