Mental Health Status of Health Care Workers in Saltpond Government Hospital in the Context of Covid-19

Abstract

Title of study: Mental health status of health care workers in Saltpond government hospital in the context of COVID-19. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on public mental health. During a pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to many stresses that predispose them to psychological disorders. To learn more about these issues, this study was conducted to assess the mental health status of health care workers in a selected government hospital in Ghana. The outcome of this study is expected to inform strategies to improve mental health status of health workers in such situations. Method: This study used a cross-sectional analytic design with a simple random sampling method and a close-ended structured questionnaire to collect data. Chi square and fisher exact tests and multiple logistic regression were used to identify and test the association between dependent and independent variables. A total of 296 healthcare workers in Saltpond Government Hospital were involved in the study. Results: Among healthcare professionals, depression, anxiety, and stress was prevalent. Approximately 55(20.27%) health workers were depressed, 44(15.07%) anxious, and 76(22.79%) stressed. The study found that depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly associated with socio-demographic characteristics such as marital status and gender. About 169(57.24%) had “excellent knowledge” and 102(34.48%) had “good knowledge” of COVID-19 among the participants. Conclusion and Recommendations: A significant proportion of health workers in the study area were found to be depressed, anxious, and stressed. Mental health services should be strengthened by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to reduce the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers. Periodic screening should be conducted among hospital staff. The counseling and public health education units of GHS should be strengthened to enhance awareness among healthcare workers the signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress and relevant coping strategies.