Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe
Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have experienced anxiety and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We established and report findings from an occupational health programme for HCWs in Zimbabwe that offered screening for SARS-CoV-2 with integrated screening for comorbidities incl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2200027X |
| _version_ | 1811337687935746048 |
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| author | Rudo M.S. Chingono Farirayi P. Nzvere Edson T. Marambire Mirriam Makwembere Nesbert Mhembere Tania Herbert Aspect J.V. Maunganidze Christopher Pasi Michael Chiwanga Prosper Chonzi Chiratidzo E. Ndhlovu Hilda Mujuru Simbarashe Rusakaniko Ioana D. Olaru Rashida A. Ferrand Victoria Simms Katharina Kranzer |
| author_facet | Rudo M.S. Chingono Farirayi P. Nzvere Edson T. Marambire Mirriam Makwembere Nesbert Mhembere Tania Herbert Aspect J.V. Maunganidze Christopher Pasi Michael Chiwanga Prosper Chonzi Chiratidzo E. Ndhlovu Hilda Mujuru Simbarashe Rusakaniko Ioana D. Olaru Rashida A. Ferrand Victoria Simms Katharina Kranzer |
| author_sort | Rudo M.S. Chingono |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have experienced anxiety and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We established and report findings from an occupational health programme for HCWs in Zimbabwe that offered screening for SARS-CoV-2 with integrated screening for comorbidities including common mental disorder (CMD) and referral for counselling. Methods: Quantitative outcomes were fearfulness about COVID-19, the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14) score (cutpoint 8/14) and the number and proportion of HCWs offered referral for counselling, accepting referral and counselled. We used chi square tests to identify factors associated with fearfulness, and logistic regression was used to model the association of fearfulness with wave, adjusting for variables identified using a DAG. Qualitative data included 18 in-depth interviews, two workshops conducted with HCWs and written feedback from counsellors, analysed concurrently with data collection using thematic analysis. Results: Between 27 July 2020–31 July 2021, spanning three SARS-CoV-2 waves, the occupational health programme was accessed by 3577 HCWs from 22 facilities. The median age was 37 (IQR 30–43) years, 81.9% were women, 41.7% said they felt fearful about COVID-19 and 12.1% had an SSQ-14 score ≥ 8. A total of 501 HCWs were offered referral for counselling, 78.4% accepted and 68.9% had ≥1 counselling session. Adjusting for setting and role, wave 2 was associated with increased fearfulness over wave 1 (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.00–1.60). Qualitative data showed high levels of anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms and burnout related to the pandemic. Mental wellbeing was affected by financial insecurity, unmet physical health needs and inability to provide quality care within a fragile health system. Conclusions: HCWs in Zimbabwe experience a high burden of mental health symptoms, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainable mental health interventions must be multisectoral addressing mental, physical and financial wellbeing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:58:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1563fa2874834271a5214785452545f1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0010-440X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:58:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-1563fa2874834271a5214785452545f12022-12-22T02:36:19ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychiatry0010-440X2022-07-01116152321Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in ZimbabweRudo M.S. Chingono0Farirayi P. Nzvere1Edson T. Marambire2Mirriam Makwembere3Nesbert Mhembere4Tania Herbert5Aspect J.V. Maunganidze6Christopher Pasi7Michael Chiwanga8Prosper Chonzi9Chiratidzo E. Ndhlovu10Hilda Mujuru11Simbarashe Rusakaniko12Ioana D. Olaru13Rashida A. Ferrand14Victoria Simms15Katharina Kranzer16Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; Institute of Global Health, University College London, London, UKBiomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UKBiomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, ZimbabweCounselling Services Unit, Harare, ZimbabweCounselling Services Unit, Harare, ZimbabweCounselling Services Unit, Harare, ZimbabweParirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, ZimbabweSally Mugabe Central Hospital, Harare, ZimbabweChitungwiza Hospital, Chitungwiza, ZimbabweHarare City Health, Harare, ZimbabweInternal Medicine Unit, University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Harare, ZimbabweDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences, Harare, ZimbabweDepartment of Community Medicine, College of Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, ZimbabweBiomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UKBiomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UKBiomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Corresponding author at: Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe.Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe; Clinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical Center of the University of Munich, Munich, GermanyBackground: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have experienced anxiety and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We established and report findings from an occupational health programme for HCWs in Zimbabwe that offered screening for SARS-CoV-2 with integrated screening for comorbidities including common mental disorder (CMD) and referral for counselling. Methods: Quantitative outcomes were fearfulness about COVID-19, the Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14) score (cutpoint 8/14) and the number and proportion of HCWs offered referral for counselling, accepting referral and counselled. We used chi square tests to identify factors associated with fearfulness, and logistic regression was used to model the association of fearfulness with wave, adjusting for variables identified using a DAG. Qualitative data included 18 in-depth interviews, two workshops conducted with HCWs and written feedback from counsellors, analysed concurrently with data collection using thematic analysis. Results: Between 27 July 2020–31 July 2021, spanning three SARS-CoV-2 waves, the occupational health programme was accessed by 3577 HCWs from 22 facilities. The median age was 37 (IQR 30–43) years, 81.9% were women, 41.7% said they felt fearful about COVID-19 and 12.1% had an SSQ-14 score ≥ 8. A total of 501 HCWs were offered referral for counselling, 78.4% accepted and 68.9% had ≥1 counselling session. Adjusting for setting and role, wave 2 was associated with increased fearfulness over wave 1 (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.00–1.60). Qualitative data showed high levels of anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms and burnout related to the pandemic. Mental wellbeing was affected by financial insecurity, unmet physical health needs and inability to provide quality care within a fragile health system. Conclusions: HCWs in Zimbabwe experience a high burden of mental health symptoms, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainable mental health interventions must be multisectoral addressing mental, physical and financial wellbeing.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2200027XAnxietyCOVID-19Mental healthOccupational health |
| spellingShingle | Rudo M.S. Chingono Farirayi P. Nzvere Edson T. Marambire Mirriam Makwembere Nesbert Mhembere Tania Herbert Aspect J.V. Maunganidze Christopher Pasi Michael Chiwanga Prosper Chonzi Chiratidzo E. Ndhlovu Hilda Mujuru Simbarashe Rusakaniko Ioana D. Olaru Rashida A. Ferrand Victoria Simms Katharina Kranzer Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe Comprehensive Psychiatry Anxiety COVID-19 Mental health Occupational health |
| title | Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | psychological distress among healthcare workers accessing occupational health services during the covid 19 pandemic in zimbabwe |
| topic | Anxiety COVID-19 Mental health Occupational health |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X2200027X |
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