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Psychological distress and related factors regarding COVID-19 among the ancillary hospital staff: A cross-sectional study

Authors :
Kapil Goel
Gurmeet Singh
Yogesh Arora
Parul Goel
Arun Kumar Aggarwal
Arunima Sen
Krishan Kumar
Ranjitpal Singh Bhogal
JS Thakur
Amarjeet Singh
Nikita Sharma
Source :
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Vol 12, Iss 4, Pp 694-700 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications, 2023.

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the front line of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak response. They have faced great risks to both physical and mental health. We aimed to assess the psychological effect of COVID-19 among ancillary hospital staff. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 267 on-duty ancillary hospital staff using a semi-structured questionnaire to assess their psychological status and risk perception. In addition, their knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) and risk perception were also assessed. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to screen for psychological distress. Results: Among 267 participants, the mean (±SD) age was 33.5 (7.6) years. The majority knew about the symptoms of COVID-19 (88.4%), droplet spread (99.3%), and the importance of isolation (99.3%). About 35.2% were worried about infecting family members, while 26.2% were worried about colleagues at the frontline. Only 38.9% of them had a good knowledge score. Participants with high school and above education level had significantly good knowledge about COVID-19 (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.17- 3.39) than those with primary school or below. Being female (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.17-3.39) and working with COVID-19 patients (OR 3.88, 95% CI 1.77-8.47, P = 0.001) was associated with psychological distress. Conclusion: The ancillary hospital staff had insufficient knowledge regarding the risk factors of COVID-19 but possessed positive attitudes and practices. Continued health education and appropriate psychological interventions may improve understanding and reduce psychological distress.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22494863 and 22787135
Volume :
12
Issue :
4
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5dcd559b1243c4a2aebe1095de5e2a
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1890_22