Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Department

Public Health

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of individuals has declined in many ways over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some groups have seen more drastic changes in their mental health and emotional wellbeing, especially those working in healthcare. While nearly all healthcare facility workers have experienced an increased burden brought about by the pandemic, long-term care facility workers have been tasked with caring for clients that, for periods of time, experienced complete social isolation. This project will attempt to answer the question of how caring for a group of socially isolated residents over an extended period has affected the emotional wellbeing and mental health of the healthcare workers both inside and outside the workplace. Data collection for this study is generated from a survey distributed to long-term care facilities and has been completed by nursing assistants, nurses, and facility administrators. My null hypothesis for this project was that there would not be an increase in the prevalence of mental health issues as a result of caring for socially isolated residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Advisor(s) or Committee Chair

Gary English, Ph.D., CHES

Disciplines

Health Services Research | Psychiatry and Psychology | Public Health

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