Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of pain and disability among nurses and are frequently accompanied by depression. However, the association between the comorbidity of MSDs and depression and working conditions has not been studied, which was the aim of this study. Methods: In 2015, all nurses (n = 1,102) employed at a community hospital in the Northeast United States were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. A survey was distributed in which participants were asked to report on MSDs, depressive symptoms, as well as subjective working conditions assessed including physical demands, psychological demands, decision authority, social support, and work–family conflict. Findings: 397 nurses responded (36%), and the prevalence of the comorbidity of MSDs and depression was 14.5%. Poisson regression (PR) models suggested that work–family conflict was associated with increased risk of the comorbidity (PR = 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33–3.58), as was 8-hour night shift (PR = 2.77; 95% CI = [1.22, 6.31]) or 12-hour day shift (PR = 2.20; 95% CI = [1.07, 4.50]). Other working conditions were not directly associated with the comorbidity. Conclusion/Application to Practice: The comorbidity of MSDs and depression is prevalent among hospital nurses, and work–family conflict and night or longer shift were significantly associated with this. Effective workplace programs are needed to address nurses’ working conditions to reduce their work–family conflict, thereby improving their musculoskeletal and mental health.

Background: Public safety workers (PSWs), including correctional officers (COs), law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service, and military personnel, are at risk of organizational stress and burnout. Exposure to traumatic events, job hazards, injuries, fatalities, and work-related stressors such as work overload, irregular shift assignments, and lack of administrative support can negatively impact PSWs’ mental health. Peer support programs (PSPs) have been cited as an intervention to address the mental health of PSWs. Purpose: The purpose of this review is to explore the use, including facilitators and barriers, of PSPs to reduce organizational stress and trauma for PSWs. Implications for COs will be discussed. Method: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley methodology. A search was conducted for articles published between 1996 and 2021 using six databases. Selected articles described, implemented, or evaluated peer support as an intervention to reduce PSW organizational stress and trauma. Findings: Thirteen articles met eligibility criteria. Organizational support, including policies, practices, and peer leadership training, contributed to the sustainability of PSPs. Confidentiality, trust, and shared lived experience were also essential to PSP. Stigma was identified as the primary barrier to participation. Public safety workers found PSP helpful in normalizing experiences, increasing hope, and decreasing stigma. Peer support programs also serve to bridge the gap in mental health services use. Conclusions: Peer support programs are a potential mental health intervention to reduce organizational stress and trauma for COs. Awareness of the facilitators and barriers to PSPs is the first step in developing such programs.

Incivility among workers in the health sector is recognized as an occupational hazard. The COVID-19 outbreak brought sudden and profound changes to many health care settings, many of which have been identified as antecedents to workplace incivility. The purpose of this retrospective study was to explore the experiences of registered nurses with workplace incivility, cyber-incivility, and incivility outside of work during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study used convenience sampling. Data were collected from June to September 2020 via an online survey, which consisted of both closed- and open-ended questions. Participants were recruited from national nursing organizations and unions. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis for open-ended responses. A total of 526 nurses’ responses were included in the analysis. More than one third experienced greater incivility at work during the COVID-19 outbreak than before the pandemic (37.4%), and almost half (45.7%) said they witnessed more incivility than before the pandemic. Cyber-incivility and incivility outside of work were also issues. Qualitative results indicated that respondents felt they were on edge during this period. Other themes included leadership failure, fractured co-worker relationships, heightened incivility from patients and families, and hostility and ostracism from the general public Occupational health nurses, nursing leaders, and staff nurses need to work to restore relations that were fractured by incivility during the pandemic. In the future, improved preparedness, including establishing clear channels of communication, may lessen incivility by decreasing role stress and organizational chaos.

Focus groups are often used for qualitative investigations. We adapted a published focus group method for evaluating impact of an organizational intervention for virtual delivery using video conferencing. The method entailed convening small groups of three to five participants for a 2-hour facilitated workshop. We delivered the virtual workshops, adding qualitative evaluation with researchers and participants, to assess the effectiveness of the protocol. We address the questions of how to structure the data collection procedures; whether virtual delivery permits cross participant interactions about a studied intervention; and how easy and comfortable the experience was for participants. Participants were university faculty members who were the focus of an institutional diversity program. The results indicated that the virtually delivered focus group workshop could be successfully implemented with strong fidelity to the original protocol to achieve the workshop goals. The workshops generated rich data about the impacts of the institutional program as well as other events and conditions in the working environment that were relevant to consider along with the observed program outcomes. A well-planned virtual focus group protocol is a valuable tool to engage intervention stakeholders for research and evaluation from a distance. Video conferencing is especially useful during the current COVID-19 pandemic, but also whenever geography separates researchers and evaluators from program stakeholders. Careful planning of privacy measures for a secure online environment and procedures for structured facilitation of group dialogue are critical for success, as in any focus group. This article addresses a gap in the literature on feasibility and methodology for using video conference technology to conduct qualitative data collection with groups.

Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Health care workers report a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than the general population. Emotional labor has contributed to poor health and work outcomes. However, the mechanism for the potential association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms has not been well studied. This study examines the relationship between emotional labor and depressive symptoms and whether sleep plays a role in explaining this relationship. In 2018, health care workers (n = 1,060) from five public sector facilities in the northeast United States participated in this cross-sectional survey. The survey included questions on participants’ surface-acting emotional labor (masking one’s feelings at work), depressive symptoms, sleep duration and disturbances, and socio-demographic characteristics. Multivariable linear and Poisson regression modeling were used to examine associations among variables. There was a significant association between emotional labor and depressive symptoms (β = 0.82, p < .001). Sleep disturbances, but not short sleep duration, partially mediated this association. Neither sleep variable moderated this association. Depressive symptoms were prevalent among health care workers and were associated with emotional masking. Sleep disturbances play an important intermediate role in translating emotional labor to depressive symptoms in these workers. Effective workplace programs are needed to reduce health care workers’ emotional labor to improve their mental health. Sleep promotion should also be emphasized to mitigate the negative effect of emotional labor and promote mental wellbeing.

Background: Healthcare workers report a higher incidence of depression than the general population. Work–family conflict is a risk factor, but the mechanisms explaining its association with depression are not well understood. This study examines the potential mediating and moderating role of sleep and decision latitude in translating work–family conflict into depression. Methods: In 2018, a cross-sectional survey was collected from healthcare workers ( n = 1,059) in five public sector facilities in the northeast United States. The survey included questions on participants’ work–family conflict, depression, sleep duration and disturbances, decision latitude, and other work environments and socio-demographic characteristics. Multivariable linear and Poisson regression modeling were used to examine associations among variables. Findings: There was a significant association between work–family conflict and depression (β = 2.70, p < .001). Sleep disturbances, although not short sleep duration, partially mediated this association. The association between work family–conflict and depression was stronger among workers with low decision latitude. Conclusions: Depression was prevalent among healthcare workers and was associated with work–family conflict. Sleep disturbances served as a significant mediator, while decision latitude modified the strength of the association. Application to Practice: Evidence-based interventions seeking to alleviate the effect of work–family conflict and improve healthcare workers’ mental health should consider promoting employee sleep quality and improving employees’ decision-making on the job.