Literature Review

COVID Stress Syndrome

To understand the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of restaurant workers, it is important to know what to expect. It is necessary to understand not only the mental health impact of Covid-19 on the general population, but also the mental health impact of working in the restaurant industry under normal circumstances. For the former, the researchers turn to Taylor et al.’s (2020) study which collected data on individuals’ Covid-19-related distress and coping mechanisms by way of an Internet-based, self-reported survey distributed in the United States and Canada (p. 707). The survey received 6,854 participants, and the results were evaluated using latent class analysis and network analysis (pp. 707–708).

The key findings of the study concern the nature of Covid-19-related distress and whether the overarching symptoms can be classified as “COVID stress syndrome” (Taylor et al.,2020, p. 713). Contrary to “recent conceptualizations,” Covid-19-related distress does not only consist of a fear of infection but a number of stressors (p. 713). Specifically, Taylor et al. identify five constituent stressors: worry about the dangerousness and rate of transmission of Covid-19, worry about the socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic, xenophobic concerns about foreigners spreading Covid-19, traumatic stress symptoms from direct or vicarious exposure to the virus, and Covid-19-related compulsive checking (news, social media) and reassurance seeking (p. 707). Furthermore, these stressors can affect and exacerbate one another. For instance, network analysis found a strong connection between traumatic stress symptoms and compulsive checking. In this example, individuals who experience greater amounts of intrusive thoughts related to Covid-19 were prone to greater amounts of compulsive checking and reassurance seeking. This increased exposure to Covid-19-related news or social media posts may, in turn, increase the number of intrusive thoughts about Covid-19, causing the cycle to repeat (p. 711).

Taylor et al. (2020) identify several limitations in their study. The noted uncertainties relate to whether or not Covid stress syndrome is its own disorder or simply a part of another, whether the syndrome is short-term or long-term, and the syndrome’s overall severity (p. 713). However, as it relates to the present study, there is another, much more obvious limitation: the time frame. Taylor et al.’s study was conducted in the very early months of 2020, having been first submitted for publication on May 12. However, global perceptions regarding the Covid-19 pandemic have shifted significantly in the seventeen months since. Unfortunately, 63% of participants that identified “reminded myself that it would soon be over” as an adopted coping mechanism (p. 709). Those seventeen months have brought with them significant challenges regarding the politicization of the virus, vaccine distribution, government mandates and regulations, healthcare strain, and constantly varying levels of infections and restrictions. Ergo, it is impossible to say that Taylor et al.’s study reflects the current state of Covid-19-related mental health concerns. However, humankind is still struggling to understand and adapt to this unfortunate reality, and as it stands, there are very few authoritative voices to turn to on the matter.

Still, Taylor et al.’s (2020) research is a reasonable contribution to the literature regarding mental health in the restaurant industry. Through the study, the fundamentals of Covid-19-related mental stress and coping mechanisms are clearer. It can be expected that restaurant industry workers in Alberta, Canada have similar concerns regarding theCovid-19 pandemic and, knowing this, the stressors unique to the restaurant industry can be isolated.