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Background <p>The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressures on maternity and neonatal services, disrupting models of care and amplifying existing stressors for healthcare staff. While much of the literature has focused on doctors and midwives, less is known about the emotional well-being of the broader multidisciplinary maternity and neonatal workforce, including neonatal nurses, sonographers, allied health, and administrative staff. Understanding the collective impact of workplace and personal factors on emotional well-being across this multidisciplinary group is essential for developing effective, inclusive workforce support strategies.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among maternity and neonatal staff, including doctors, midwives, nurses, sonographers, allied health, and administrative staff, from one tertiary and two secondary Australian hospitals. Survey responses were analysed using exploratory factor analysis to identify subscales representing key dimensions of emotional well-being, as well as workplace-related and personal factors influencing it. These subscales were then used in multiple hierarchical regression analyses to determine predictors of emotional well-being among staff.</p> Results <p>The strongest predictor of emotional well-being was the subscale ‘<i>Impact of COVID-19 on the Workplace’</i> (β = -0.345, p &lt; 0.001), encompassing factors such as perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, staff ability to perform duties, and adverse patient outcomes. Other significant predictors included average sleep duration (β = -0.230, p &lt; 0.001), substance use (β = -0.210, p &lt; 0.001), and time spent on outdoor activities (β = -0.130, p &lt; 0.001). The predictive model explained 35.1% of the variance in emotional well-being (R² = 0.351).</p> Conclusion <p>Workplace-related and personal factors significantly influenced maternity and neonatal staff well-being during the pandemic. Addressing workplace stress, promoting sleep, supporting healthy coping mechanisms, and encouraging restorative activities may improve staff well-being. These findings can inform the design of targeted workforce support programs and guide service planning strategies to strengthen resilience during future system shocks.</p> Trial registration <p>Not applicable.</p>

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Workplace and personal predictors of well-being in the broader maternity and neonatal workforce during COVID-19: evidence from a multicentre survey

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月28日

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  • Alexander J. Lindgren,
  • Leonie Callaway,
  • Kylie Burke,
  • Elizabeth Ryan,
  • Lisa McKeown,
  • Alka Kothari

摘要

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressures on maternity and neonatal services, disrupting models of care and amplifying existing stressors for healthcare staff. While much of the literature has focused on doctors and midwives, less is known about the emotional well-being of the broader multidisciplinary maternity and neonatal workforce, including neonatal nurses, sonographers, allied health, and administrative staff. Understanding the collective impact of workplace and personal factors on emotional well-being across this multidisciplinary group is essential for developing effective, inclusive workforce support strategies.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among maternity and neonatal staff, including doctors, midwives, nurses, sonographers, allied health, and administrative staff, from one tertiary and two secondary Australian hospitals. Survey responses were analysed using exploratory factor analysis to identify subscales representing key dimensions of emotional well-being, as well as workplace-related and personal factors influencing it. These subscales were then used in multiple hierarchical regression analyses to determine predictors of emotional well-being among staff.

Results

The strongest predictor of emotional well-being was the subscale ‘Impact of COVID-19 on the Workplace’ (β = -0.345, p < 0.001), encompassing factors such as perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, staff ability to perform duties, and adverse patient outcomes. Other significant predictors included average sleep duration (β = -0.230, p < 0.001), substance use (β = -0.210, p < 0.001), and time spent on outdoor activities (β = -0.130, p < 0.001). The predictive model explained 35.1% of the variance in emotional well-being (R² = 0.351).

Conclusion

Workplace-related and personal factors significantly influenced maternity and neonatal staff well-being during the pandemic. Addressing workplace stress, promoting sleep, supporting healthy coping mechanisms, and encouraging restorative activities may improve staff well-being. These findings can inform the design of targeted workforce support programs and guide service planning strategies to strengthen resilience during future system shocks.

Trial registration

Not applicable.