TITLE:
Psychological Distress amongst Healthcare Workers in Douala
AUTHORS:
Owona Manga Léon Jules, Eyoum Christian, Bita Fouda André Arsène, Ndjiengwe François Errero, Djietcheu Tan-Ho Myriam, Mor Ndiaye
KEYWORDS:
Psychological Distress, Healthcare Workers, Hospitals, Douala
JOURNAL NAME:
Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine,
Vol.12 No.4,
November
27,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Psychological distress can affect every worker’s mental health or working ability, and specifically the healthcare workers. It is essential to prevent and treat it in order to anticipate predictable consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of psychological distress among the healthcare workers in the city of Douala. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out during the 1st semester of 2023 in two reference hospitals of the city of Douala. All volunteer staff from the targeted hospitals were involved. We collected data using a mixed questionnaire that included the working conditions, as of the socioprofessional and psychological characteristics of the healthcare workers. We measured the level of psychological distress using the Kessler scale. Analysis was performed using the Chi-2 test and multivariate analysis. Threshold value was & = 5%, p Results: The participation rate was 86.3%. Women (81.7%) and nurses (77.6%) predominated in the sample. The mean age was 35.38 ± 8.9 years, and individuals in their thirties accounted for 46.79% of the sample. The prevalence of psychological distress was 19.5%. The psychological distress was categorized as mild (48.72%), moderate (18.46%) or severe (32.82%). Risk factors for psychological distress included being of the catholic faith (OR = 3.6, p = 0.04), poor sleep quality (OR = 3.9, p = 0.001) and long working hours (OR = 2.2, p = 0.002). Overtime was the only protective factor identified (OR = 0.6, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Nearly 1 out of 5 healthcare workers suffered from psychological distress exacerbated by poor working and living conditions. There is an urgent need to improve their working conditions to prevent the development of more severe consequences.