Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a detrimental toll on the lives of individuals globally. In addition to the direct effect (e.g., being infected with the virus), this pandemic has negatively ravaged many industries, particularly food retail, food services, and hospitality. Given the novelty of the disease, the true impact of COVID-19 remains to be determined. Because of the nature of their work, and the characteristics of the workers, individuals in the food retail, food service, and hospitality industries are a group whose vulnerability is at its most fragile state during this pandemic. Through this qualitative study, we explored workers’ perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and coping, including screening for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder symptoms. Twenty-seven individual interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four key themes emerged: being infected and infecting others, the unknown, isolation, and work and customer demands. Considering the many uncertainties of COVID-19, workers in these three industries were experiencing heightened levels of mental distress because of where they worked and the already existing disparities they faced on a daily basis before the pandemic started. Yet they remained hopeful for a better future. More studies are needed to fully understand the magnitude, short-term, and long-term effects of COVID-19. Based on this study’s findings, programs are critically needed to promote positive coping behaviors among at-risk and distressed workers. Recommendations for employers, occupational health and safety professionals, and policy stakeholders to further support these service workers are discussed.

摘要

冠状病毒大流行对全球个人的生活造成了不利影响。除了直接影响（例如，被病毒感染）外，这种流行病还对许多行业造成了负面破坏，特别是食品零售、食品服务和酒店业。鉴于该疾病的新颖性，COVID-19 的真正影响仍有待确定。由于他们的工作性质和工人的特点，食品零售、食品服务和酒店业的个人是一个群体，在这次大流行期间，他们的脆弱性处于最脆弱的状态。通过这项定性研究，我们探讨了工人对 COVID-19 对其心理健康和应对的影响的看法，包括筛查创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 和酒精使用障碍症状。使用定性内容分析进行了 27 次个人访谈、录音、转录和分析。出现了四个关键主题：被感染和感染他人、未知、孤立、工作和客户需求。考虑到 COVID-19 的许多不确定性，这三个行业的工人正经历着更高程度的精神痛苦，因为他们在哪里工作以及在大流行开始之前他们每天都面临着已经存在的差异。然而，他们仍然对更美好的未来充满希望。需要更多的研究来充分了解 COVID-19 的规模、短期和长期影响。根据这项研究的结果，迫切需要计划来促进处于危险和痛苦的工人中的积极应对行为。对雇主的建议，