Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec 1;7(1):e1.
doi: 10.1192/bjo.2020.130.

Mental health of healthcare professionals during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia

Yimenu Yitayih  1 , Seblework Mekonen  2 , Ahmed Zeynudin  3 , Embialle Mengistie  2 , Argaw Ambelu  2
Affiliations

Mental health of healthcare professionals during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia

Yimenu Yitayih et al. BJPsych Open. .

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic causes healthcare professionals to suffer mental health problems such as psychological distress, anxiety, depression, denial and fear. However, studies are lacking related to Ethiopia and to Africa in general.

Aims: To study the mental health of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia.

Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Jimma University Medical Center among 249 healthcare professionals. The data were collected using self-administered questionnaires between 22 and 28 March 2020. The psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale - Revised (IES-R) and symptoms of insomnia were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Social support was evaluated using the three-item Oslo Social Support Scale. Data were analysed using logistic regression to examine mutually adjusted associations, expressed as adjusted odds ratios. The psychosocial status of the healthcare professionals was predicted using a classification tree model supported by the genetic search method.

Results: The prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare professionals was 78.3%. The mean IES-R score was 34.2 (s.d. = 19.4). The ISI score indicated that the prevalence of insomnia was 50.2%. Higher psychological distress was associated with younger age, having insomnia, not having a daily update on COVID-19, and feeling stigmatised and rejected in the neighbourhood because of hospital work.

Conclusions: This study indicates that, in Ethiopia, the prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare professionals is high and associated with specific sociodemographic risks.

Keywords: COVID-19; distress; health care professionals; insomnia; psychological.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The decision tree model identifying personal factors affecting the psychosocial status of healthcare professionals at Jimma University Medical Center (κ = 0.31, percentage of correctly classified instances %CCI = 81.93).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Dinh PN, Long HT, Tien NT, Hien NT, Mai LT, Phong LH, et al. Risk factors for human infection with avian influenza A H5N1, Vietnam, 2004. Emerg Infect Dis 2006; 12: 1841–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shortridge KF, Peiris JS, Guan Y. The next influenza pandemic: lessons from Hong Kong. J Appl Microbiol 2003; 94: 70–9. - PubMed
    1. Paules CI, Marston HD, Fauci AS. Coronavirus infections – more than just the common cold. JAMA 2020; 323: 707–8. - PubMed
    1. Huang C. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet 2020; 395: 497–506. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu T, Chen X, Miao G. Recommendations on diagnostic criteria and prevention of SARS-related mental disorders. J Clin Psychol Med 2003; 13: 188–91.