The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers’ wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

Many health and social care (HSC) professionals have faced overwhelming pressures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As the current situation is constantly changing, and some restrictions across the UK countries such as social distancing and mask wearing in this period (May–July 2021) began to ease, it is important to examine how this workforce has been affected and how employers can help rebuild their services. The aim of this study was to compare cross-sectional data collected from the HSC workforce in the UK at three time points during the COVID-19 pandemic: Phase 1 (May–July 2020), Phase 2 (November 2020–January 2021) and Phase 3 (May–July 2021). Respondents surveyed across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) consisted of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers. Wellbeing and work-related quality of life significantly declined from Phase 1 to 3 (p < 0.001); however, no significant difference occurred between Phases 2 and 3 (p > 0.05). Respondents increasingly used negative coping strategies between Phase 1 (May–July 2020) and Phase 3 (May–July 2021), suggesting that the HSC workforce has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. These results have the potential to inform HSC employers’ policies, practices, and interventions as the workforce continues to respond to the COVID-19 virus and its legacy.

The health impacts of caregiving and volunteering are rarely studied concurrently, despite the potential for both synergies and conflicts. This population-based study examines the association of these activities on health and subsequent mortality. a census-based record-linkage study of 244,429 people aged 65 and over, with cohort characteristics, caregiving and volunteering status, and presence of chronic health conditions derived from the Census returns. Mortality risk was assessed over the following 45 months with adjustment for baseline characteristics. caregivers and volunteers were individually more mobile than those undertaking neither activity; caregivers who also volunteered were more mobile than those who did not volunteer, but no less likely to suffer from poor mental health. Both caregiving and volunteering were separately associated with reduced mortality risk (HR = 0.74: 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.71, 0.77 and HR = 0.76: 0.73, 0.81, respectively); the lowest mortality was found amongst light caregivers who also volunteered (HR = 0.53: 95% CIs = 0.45, 0.62), compared to those engaged in neither. There was no evidence of a multiplicative effect of caregiving and volunteering at more intense levels of caregiving. there is a large overlap in caregiving and volunteering activities with complex associations with health status. There is some evidence that combining caregiving and volunteering activities, for those involved in less intense levels of caregiving, maybe associated with lower mortality risk than associated with either activity alone. Further research is needed to understand which aspects of caregiving and volunteering are best and for whom and in which circumstances.

Objectives. We compared the mental health risk to unpaid caregivers bereaved of a care recipient with the risk to persons otherwise bereaved and to nonbereaved caregivers. Methods. We linked prescription records for antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs to characteristics and life-event data of members of the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (n = 317 264). Using a case-control design, we fitted logistic regression models, stratified by age, to model relative likelihood of mental health problems, using the proxy measures of mental health–related prescription. Results. Both caregivers and bereaved individuals were estimated to be at between 20% and 50% greater risk for mental health problems than noncaregivers in similar circumstances (for bereaved working-age caregivers, odds ratio = 1.41; 95% confidence interval = 1.27, 1.56). For older people, there was no evidence of additional risk to bereaved caregivers, though there was for working-age people. Older people appeared to recover more quickly from caregiver bereavement. Conclusions. Caregivers were at risk for mental ill health while providing care and after the death of the care recipient. Targeted caregiver support needs to extend beyond the life of the care recipient.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve around the world, it is important to examine its effect on societies and individuals, including health and social care (HSC) professionals. The aim of this study was to compare cross-sectional data collected from HSC staff in the UK at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic: Phase 1 (May–July 2020) and Phase 2 (November 2020–January 2021). The HSC staff surveyed consisted of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers from across the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). Multiple regressions were used to examine the effects of different coping strategies and demographic and work-related variables on participants’ wellbeing and quality of working life to see how and if the predictors changed over time. An additional multiple regression was used to directly examine the effects of time (Phase 1 vs. Phase 2) on the outcome variables. Findings suggested that both wellbeing and quality of working life deteriorated from Phase 1 to Phase 2. The results have the potential to inform interventions for HSC staff during future waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, other infectious outbreaks or even other circumstances putting long-term pressures on HSC systems.

Socio-demographic background and school-level factors are influential on an individual’s educational outcomes. However, limited research has had the ability to examine the impact of a pupil’s socio-demographic profile and school-level factors, whilst accounting for the multidimensional structure of socio-economic status. Using data that combined the Census (2011), School Leavers Survey and School Census for the first time in Northern Ireland (n = 61,373), multilevel modelling was executed to examine the associations between educational attainment (GCSE score), a pupil’s socio-demographic profile (socio-economic status, gender and religious affiliation) and school-level factors (school type and management structure). The findings from this study highlight: the multidimensionality and hierarchy of socio-economic effects; the prevalence of a gender effect; variability in the influence of religious affiliation; the need for a nuanced approach when considering school-level factors, and the importance of interaction terms for an in-depth understanding of attainment trends.