ABSTRACT
Background: A novel coronavirus had a profound physiological and psychological burden with regards to contracting the disease or uncertainties in the care of infected patients. Especially, at risk are frontline healthcare workers who are participating in the care of such patients. Aim: This study investigated the burden of mental health problems amongst the frontline health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Ethiopia. Setting: East Hararghe Zone of Oromia Region and Harari Regional State, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three selected hospitals of COVID-19 treatment centers. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 423 participants from each hospital. The self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used to assess the presence of common mental disorders. Binary and multivariable logistic regressions were fitted to identify factors associated with common mental disorders. Statistical significance was declared at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: The prevalence of common mental disorders amongst frontline healthcare workers was 22.6%. Being female, married, having had direct contact with COVID-19 patients, working in COVID-19 treatment centers and ICU, having any symptoms of COVID-19, current three-month use of any substances, and poor social support were found to be strong predictors of common mental disorders in frontline health workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. Conclusion: The considerable proportions of frontline health care workers have common mental health problems. Strategies need to address COVID-19 related mental health problems, and integrate psychosocial intervention to support the frontline health workers is paramount.
ABSTRACT
Background: Globally, a lot of countries put into practice early quarantine measures as an essential COVID-19 prevention mechanism. Other than physical effects, quarantine has a major result on mental health and well-being at both the individual as well as the community level at large. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the psychological burden of COVID-19 on the people in quarantine and isolation centers and to identify associated factors for early and effective psychosocial intervention during the pandemic and beyond. Method: A cross-sectional study was done among 392 suspected cases of COVID-19 that were in quarantine and isolation centers found in Eastern Ethiopia in 2020. Participants were selected by the convenience sampling method. The common mental disorder was measured by the Self Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20). Logistic regression was done to identify predictive factors, and a P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The common mental disorder among suspected cases of COVID-19 in Ethiopia was found to be 13.5% (95% CI: 10.2, 17.1%). Female (AOR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.92), known chronic medical illness (AOR = 7.0, 95% CI: 2.2, 21.8), inadequate accessibility of personal protective equipment (AOR = 6.1, 95% CI: 2.8, 13.3), poor awareness about the pandemic (AOR = 2.90, 95% CI: 2.71, 7.54), presence of symptoms of the disease (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI: 2.57, 11.1), and substance use (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.1) were found to be associated with a common mental disorder. Conclusion: The current study revealed that the common mental disorder was relatively high among suspected cases of COVID-19 in quarantine and isolation centers as compared with the general population. The results of the present study demonstrate that some subpopulations are more vulnerable to the pandemic's deleterious effects on mental health. Therefore, providing appropriate psychosocial intervention for the populations at risk is important to decrease the effect of common mental disorders among suspected cases of COVID-19.