1 in 3 U.S. Public Health Workers Feels Threatened During Pandemic

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- One-third of public health workers have endured threats, anger and aggression from the public during the pandemic, and that has come at a steep cost to their mental health, a new study finds.

The negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers have been documented and the research on psychological impacts is building, said lead study author Hope Tiesman. She is a research epidemiologist with the division of safety research at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in Morgantown, W.Va.

Public health workers do the important work of disseminating information and services to the public; making sure their health and well-being are addressed in the face of workplace violence is important for their mental health and for the health of the nation in future public health crises, Tiesman added.

For the study, more than 26,000 state, tribal, local and territorial public health workers responded to an online survey developed by a team of researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including Tiesman.