Work, Parenting, and Well-being: An International Survey of Neurologists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: COVID-19 reframed the relationship between work and home and, in general, made both more difficult-especially for parents. We hypothesized that, among neurologists, the effects of the pandemic on productivity and on well-being would be greater on those with children than on those without children and that the effects would be greater on women with children than on men with children.
Methods: We conducted an international electronic survey launched by the Practice Current section of the American Academy of Neurology. The survey included questions on demographics (self-identified gender, number of children and elderly dependents, childcare support, and country and state when applicable), workflow changes because of COVID-19, impacted domains, and productivity and well-being using the Likert scale. Counts are presented as descriptive statistics. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Results: We collected 243 fully completed surveys from providers in all continents with high representation of the United States (76%), providers who identified as women (71.6%), and neurologists with children (91%) among respondents. A majority worked remotely (28% fully, 43% mix). Neurologists reported decreased academic productivity (72%), work benefits (65%), and time for writing (48%). These findings were more prominent in respondents with children and among women practicing outside of the United States. Increased pressure from productivity expectations and lack of time for family were reported by 47% and 41% of respondents, respectively.
Discussion: The disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic affected academic productivity and decreased the well-being of neurologists in general and of neurologists with children more drastically. This could potentially hinder the promotion and retention of junior neurologists who were juggling life and work during the pandemic outbreak and its recurrent surges.
Competing Interests: M. Abdennadher reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. S. Patel reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. K. Dembny reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. R. Edalatpour reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. J. Weinberg reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. L. Bartolini is the Editor of Neurology: Clinical Practice. A. Ganesh is Section Editor of Practice Currents. D. Singhal reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp.
(© 2023 American Academy of Neurology.)