Mental disorders among healthcare workers in an unsafe environment : case of the Fada Regional University Hospital, Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64707/revstss.v49i1.1906Keywords:
Mental disorders, armed conflict, healthcare workers, regional hospital center of Fada N'Gourma, MINI, Burkina FasoAbstract
Introduction
Healthcare workers in conflict zones are exposed to situations that adversely affect their physical and mental health. Few studies have investigated the mental health status of these workers in such settings.
Objectives : To determine the prevalence of mental disorders and associated factors among healthcare workers.
Materials and Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted between February 1st and February 28, 2023, at the Regional University Hospital Center of Fada N'Gourma. The MINI questionnaire, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 were used for data collection. Data were entered using EpiData version 2.0 and analyzed using Stata version 17.0. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Results
A total of 433 healthcare workers were eligible for the study. Among them, 110 provided valid information and constituted our sample. Female participants accounted for 34.55% of the sample. The mean age of participants was 38.05 ± 6.96 years. The overall prevalence of mental disorders was 38.18%. The three most common mental disorders were agoraphobia (14.55%), major depressive episode (12.73%), and dysthymia (10.00%). The presence of post-traumatic stress disorder increased the risk of mental disorders by fivefold (adjusted OR = 5.32; 95% CI [1.67–16.95]; p = 0.005).
Conclusion
The prevalence of mental disorders among healthcare workers was high. Psychological support services should be implemented to provide relief and support for these workers.
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