Breast radiologists reporting high levels of psychological distress during the pandemic
Breast radiologists are reporting high levels of psychological distress, particularly among young and female physicians, according to new survey results reported Monday in JACR.
Such stress appeared to persist across all demographic groups including age, gender, practice type and geographic region. But scores were also particularly high among those grappling with childcare challenges or facing financial stress, noted a team of researchers led by the University of California, Los Angeles.
Results from the nationwide survey of 628 breast imaging specialists make it clear practices must take steps to address burnout. The 41-question, multiple-choice survey also found that COVID-specific wellness efforts were associated with lower levels of psychological distress.
“Additional practice policies are needed to address the mental health, childcare and financial struggles of the breast imaging community and address high levels of anticipated pandemic-specific burnout,” Hannah Milch, MD, with the Department of Radiology at UCLA’s school of medicine, and co-authors wrote March 1. “Wellness policies specifically targeting younger women are needed to help mitigate worsening gender disparities that may occur as a consequence of the pandemic,” they added.
Milch et al. administered the survey electronically between June and September, targeting 3,594 members of the Society of Breast Imaging and the National Consortium of Breast Centers. They tallied a response rate of 18%, with women representing 79% of those polled at a median age of 52 and representation from 48 of 50 states. About 71% had been in the specialty for greater than 10 years, 48% worked in private practice, and 24% in academia.
Radiologists reported anxiety as the most common mental health symptom stemming from COVID-19 at 68%, followed by sadness (41%), sleep problems (36%), anger (25%) and depression (23%). And the single greatest source of anxiety was fear of contracting the virus (28%), followed by the human impact of pandemic (27%), and managing personal needs (22%). Higher psychological distress scores correlated with female gender and younger age.
About 38% of respondents reported increased childcare needs at home stemming from COVID-19, with women affected more than men (40% versus 29%). Such needs were also associated with higher psychological distress, Milch and colleagues reported.
On financial questions, 44% saw layoffs or furloughs within their practice, with breast technologists (32%) administrative staff (24%) and breast radiologists (19%) hit hardest. About 58% of such actions occurred in private practices when compared to 40% in academic settings. Half of those surveyed said they were working reduced hours or had their pay cut amid the pandemic.
You can read much more about the survey results in the Journal of the American College of Radiology here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.