If You Need a Psychiatrist, It’s BAD”: Stigma Associated with Seeking Mental Health Care Among Obstetric Providers in Ghana
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Women’s Health
Abstract
Purpose: Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the impact of negative patient outcomes on healthcare
providers. In Ghana, obstetric providers regularly face maternal and neonatal mortality, yet limited research has focused on provision
of mental health support for these providers. This study sought to understand how obstetric providers viewed seeking mental health
support after poor clinical outcomes, with a focus on the role of mental health stigma.
Patients and Methods: Participants were 52 obstetric providers (20 obstetrician/gynecologists and 32 midwives) at two tertiary care
hospitals in Ghana. Five focus groups, led by a trained facilitator and lasting approximately two hours, were conducted to explore
provider experiences and perceptions of support following poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. Discussions were audiotaped and
transcribed verbatim, then analyzed qualitatively using grounded theory methodology.
Results: Most participants (84.3%, N=43) were finished with training, and 46.2% (N=24) had been in practice more than 10 years.
Emerging themes included pervasive stigma associated with seeking mental health care after experiencing poor clinical outcomes,
which was derived from two overlapping dimensions. First, societal-level stigma resulted from a cultural norm to keep emotions
hidden, and the perception that psychiatry is equated with severe mental illness. Second, provider-level stigma resulted from the belief
that healthcare workers should not have mental health problems, a perception that mental health care is acceptable for patients but not
for providers, and a fear about lack of confidentiality. Despite many providers acknowledging negative mental health impacts
following poor clinical outcomes, these additive layers of stigma limited their willingness to engage in formal mental health care.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that stigma creates significant barriers to acceptance of mental health support among obstetric
providers. Interventions to support providers will need to respect provider concerns without reinforcing the stigma associated with
seeking mental health care.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
provider burnout, therapy, sub-Saharan Africa, LMIC