An Evaluation of the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Health Workers at The Avenues Clinic

Abstract

The psychological impact of COVID 19 pandemic on health workers is one of the most prevalent concerns all over the world. Health workers being front liners during the pandemic were mostly affected psychologically by the pandemic. The health emergency crisis has put health workers even more at risk of developing mental health problems. This study sought to evaluate the psychological impact of COVID 19 on health workers at The Avenues Clinic. The study examined to what extent the health workers were affected by the pandemic psychologically using the variables on symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and fear. It further went on to determine the coping strategies used by the health workers during the pandemic. A cross sectional survey was done on 130 participants using interviewer administered questionnaires. The mean age of participants was 31years. Females made up 76.2% of the total sample while males were only 23.8%. Fear was prevalent among participants. Proportion of participants who feared catching COVID 19 was 90.7%, while 93.1% feared infecting family members with COVID 19. Other than fearing being infected and infecting family members, most participants, about 85%, also felt that their family members or friends were afraid of catching COVID 19 from them. Compared to stress, depression and anxiety were more prevalent. More than two thirds of the total sample, (68.5%) had depression while a similar proportion (66.9%) had anxiety. In contrast, stress registered opposite results to depression and anxiety, with only 16.2% of total participants registering symptoms of anxiety while 73.8% of the participants had no stress. Mild to extremely severe depression was higher in females compared to males. Anxiety and stress followed the same pattern. Different coping strategies were used by participants. Relying on factual information and receiving support if available were the most common coping strategies, both at 76.9%, followed by engaging in regular spiritual practices at 73.1% and family support at 65.5%.