Psychological factors promote the habituation effect on social workers' posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after repeated COVID-19 outbreaks.

Objective: The present study investigates whether psychological factors influence the habituation or sensitization effect during repeated COVID-19 outbreaks.

Method: A total of 838 social workers from districts affected by different waves of COVID-19 outbreaks (two waves, n = 387; one wave, n = 177; zero waves, n = 274) reported their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, psychological security, emotional regulation, resilience, spiritual health, and social support (December 2021).

Results: The rate of PTSD among social workers stands at 34% (cutoff point 38). Social workers developed a habituation response amid the ongoing pandemic, with individuals who encountered a higher number of COVID-19 outbreaks exhibiting fewer symptoms of PTSD (F = 3.04, p < .05, η² = 0.007). Social workers who experienced two outbreaks had significantly lower PTSD symptoms than those who did not experience any (p = .018, 95% CI [0.431, 4.635]). A bootstrapped multiple mediation analysis indicates that psychological security (indirect effect: β = -0.590, 95% CI [-0.989, -0.192]) and emotional regulation (indirect effect: β = -0.474, 95% CI [-0.899, -0.069]) completely mediate the association between outbreaks of COVID-19 and PTSD symptoms.

Conclusions: The incidence of PTSD symptoms was high in social workers. Chinese social workers underwent a habituation effect after repeated outbreaks of COVID-19. Improving psychological security and emotional regulation can reduce PTSD symptoms due to the repeated outbreak of COVID-19 among the public. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).