Achieving positive mental health and wellbeing on the COVID-19 frontline

Achieving Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing on the COVID-19 frontline

With this in mind, a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews was conducted in April 2020 with a medical assistance team recently returned from their frontline task in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak in China. The interview questions were developed based on Marslow's hierarchy of needs, covering physiological needs, safety, love and belongings, emotional security, self-esteem, and self-actualization. It was intended to investigate if fulfilment of such needs helps promote mental wellbeing and vice versa. We understood that the team members had been filling out questionnaires on mental health throughout their stay in Wuhan and were not particularly keen to complete more paperwork. Therefore we opted to instead allow them to share their stories from their perspectives in their own words. As a result, the interviewees generally found the interviews cathartic and helpful in processing their experiences.

Cite this article

Hoay Khoo, V.P., Morsillo, J. and Zhang, L. Achieving Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing on the COVID-19 Frontline. The Innovation 1 (2), 100024 (2020). doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2020.100024