Depression, Anxiety And Stress Symptoms Among Healthcare Workers Who Recovered From Covid-19 Infection In Selected Healthcare Facilities In The Accra Metropolis

Abstract

Background: The Coronavirus pandemic is causing devastating effects worldwide. While very few studies have shown the effect the pandemic has on the psychological well-being of people, these studies have focused largely on the general human population, neglecting healthcare workers who are at the frontline of the fight against Covid-19. Thus, studies that examine how these pandemic and associated factors affect psychological well-being of healthcare workers who recovered from Covid-19 infection, particularly in a developing country such as Ghana is important for managers to establish or strengthen support systems for these workers. Aim: This study sought to investigate the psychological disorders of heath care workers (HCWs) who recovered from COVID-19 infection in selected healthcare facilities in the Accra Metropolitan area. Method: This study was a cross-sectional one. A standardized questionnaire was used to take information from 120 healthcare professionals at five selected healthcare facilities in the Accra Metropolitan Area of the Greater Accra Region. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine factors that were associated with the development of depression, anxiety and stress (psychological disorders). Additionally, test of proportions was conducted to compare psychological experiences among vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Results: The results of this study show that the prevalence of healthcare workers who survived COVID-19 infection in the study with depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms were 20.8%, 28.3% and 29.1% respectively. Sex, age, marital status, parity average monthly income and having co-morbidities were found to be significantly associated with depressive symptoms, while sex, age, marital status and persistent symptoms of COVID-19 disease were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms. Additionally, sex, marital status, average monthly income and persist symptoms of COVID-19 disease were the factors associated with stress symptoms. Further, healthcare workers who were unvaccinated were more likely to develop anxiety (p<0.05) compared to the vaccinated group but there was no statistically significant association between vaccination status and the development of depression and stress (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study has revealed that the proportion of healthcare workers with depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms was high. This has serious implications on health care delivery in the country. Therefore, consensus efforts should be made by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to provide mental health support and services for healthcare workers who recover from COVID-19.