In new study, USF researchers focus on occupational burnout from hurricanes and COVID

After Hurricane Helene sent its storm surge into Florida's west coast in late September, local emergency responders and health care workers pulled long hours on the job. Then came Hurricane Milton right behind it, with Category 3 winds and rains wreaking havoc not just to property, but the patience and nerves of those same exhausted crews.

A study by researchers at USF's College of Public Health (COPH) addresses the stresses caused not only by these natural disasters, but lingering epidemics such as COVID-19, and the long-term psychological impact on people trying to help the public.

The team summarized its findings in the paper "Occupational Burnout: Florida Public Health Workforce during the COVID-19 Pandemic," published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Although the study focuses primarily on the height of the COVID pandemic, its lessons apply equally to the post-traumatic problems that arise in the aftermath of natural disasters and other calamities.

Findings showed that Florida public health employees had high levels of confidence in the quality and effectiveness of their work, but also high levels of emotional exhaustion, cynicism and burnout. What made the most difference in their intention to quit their jobs or not was the work environment and how supported they felt by higher-ups.

"If we neglect the well-being of the frontline public health workforce, we risk weakening our entire response system,'' said Elizabeth Dunn, a COPH instructor and co-author on the study. "By understanding the challenges and stressors they face, we can create more effective support strategies and build stronger, more resilient communities in the face of compounding threats."

Florida's public health workforce faced unprecedented challenges during the compounding COVID-19 pandemic and from subsequent active hurricane seasons. The study set out to better understand burnout within the workforce and identify strategies to better support its people.

To assess the impact of COVID and hurricane response efforts, the authors used a cross-sectional survey to address burnout, job satisfaction, turnover intention, job demands and resources, and organizational support at the height of the pandemic in 2021. The study involved 891 Florida Department of Health (FDOH) workers.

They found that about half of the respondents reported experiencing burnout, which is linked to job dissatisfaction and turnover intention. Strategies to support and retain this essential workforce include improving staffing, salaries, flexibility, training, resources and leadership.

"Burnout is an important occupational hazard to investigate because it can have significant consequences,'' the authors say. "When employees experience burnout, their quality of work and personal well-being suffer, as does the health and well-being of the public.''

The study confirms findings from the research team's previous studies of public health workers across the country and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reported significant increases in poor mental health days, burnout and turnover intention in 2022 due to the heightened burdens of COVID-19.

USF's mixed-methods study provides valuable insight into burnout, stress and training needs of a constrained state health agency simultaneously responding to biological and natural hazards. Highlighting the stress points that emerged under such unique circumstances gives researchers and practitioners new knowledge to develop mitigation strategies for emergency management occupational hazards.

"We are committed partners to the Florida Department of Health and other state agencies, doing what we can as the College of Public Health through research, evaluation and service to support our public health workforce," says Dr. Jennifer Marshall, director of the Sunshine Education and Research Center (ERC)..

For example, the USF Center for Leadership in Public Health Practice trains Florida public health managers and supervisors on valuable leadership skills through the Region IV training center and the Public Health Executive Leadership Program.

"As the pandemic continues, hurricane seasons occur annually, and new threats emerge, it is critical to support the public health workforce, increasing job satisfaction and decreasing burnout and turnover intentions, to effectively protect and promote the health of Florida's population,'' the authors state.

While the report focuses on Florida, burnout is a nation-wide problem, according to the non-profit Washington State Standard.

"Climate change has rewritten the script for disasters, leaving communities vulnerable to weather patterns that don't abide by schedules or the rules of past behavior,'' the Standard notes. "As a result, hundreds of thousands of emergency responders are facing unprecedented challenges -from burnout to post-traumatic stress disorder to tighter budgets - as they battle hurricanes, windstorms, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters that are more frequent and intense than those in the past.''

The study was conducted by a USF team of researchers and students from the College of Public Health and Industrial Organizational Psychology program. Authors involved in the report include:

• Tracy Gates, COPH MPH alumna and current public health analyst with the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration
• Blake Scott, COPH PhD alumna and current disaster epidemiologist, FDOH
• Dr. Kelsey Merlo, former assistant professor in the School of Psychology and current senior data & applied scientist with Microsoft
• Dannelle Charles, MPH, former Sunshine ERC undergraduate researcher and current associate scientist II, American Cancer Society
• Elizabeth Dunn, MPH, instructor I, DrPH student, USF College of Public Health
• Christopher Miklaszewski, former Sunshine ERC undergraduate tesearcher and current masters student in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Buffalo
• Jennifer Marshall, PhD, associate professor, director of the Sunshine ERC for Occupational Safety, Health, and Well-being, USF College of Public Health

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