Psychological distress among community-based mental health professionals in Ghana: prevalence and contributing factors.

Akosua Serwaah Bonsu, Joana Salifu Yendork, Kwaku Oppong Asante, Enoch John Dotse, Kenneth Owusu Ansah
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Abstract

In Ghana, community-based mental health professionals (MHPs) are essential in providing mental health treatments, albeit in difficult circumstances. High workloads, a lack of institutional support, and resource constraints are among the factors in these professions' elevated psychological distress. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, this study investigated the prevalence and contributing factors of psychological distress among mental health professionals (MHPs) working in communities in Ghana. Using the DASS-21 scale, quantitative data were gathered from 300 MHPs, and the results showed that the prevalence of clinically significant levels of psychological distress (from mild to extremely severe) was 41.3% for anxiety, 36% for depression, and 32.7% for stress. Psychological distress was significantly influenced by factors such as marital status and work experience. Qualitative interviews with 25 MHPs revealed more stressors that support the high prevalence rates, including workload and clients' behaviour; resource and infrastructure constraints; stigma and affiliate stigma; and lack of institutional support and isolation. The nature and extent of distress beyond depression, anxiety and stress gathered from MHPs' perspectives were the experience of "intense distress" (acute), "persistent distress" (chronic), and "emotional distress" (a component of burnout). Therefore, systemic adjustments, including better infrastructure, more financing for mental health services, and the creation of MHP-specific support programmes, are needed to address the psychological distress of MHPs in Ghana.

加纳社区精神卫生专业人员的心理困扰:流行程度和影响因素。
在加纳,社区精神卫生专业人员在提供精神卫生治疗方面至关重要,尽管情况困难。高工作量、缺乏机构支持和资源限制是这些职业心理困扰加剧的因素之一。采用顺序解释混合方法设计,本研究调查了在加纳社区工作的精神卫生专业人员(MHPs)中心理困扰的患病率和影响因素。使用DASS-21量表收集300名MHPs的定量数据,结果显示,临床显著水平的心理困扰(从轻度到极重度)的患病率为焦虑41.3%,抑郁36%,压力32.7%。心理困扰受婚姻状况、工作经历等因素影响显著。对25名MHPs的定性访谈揭示了支持高患病率的更多压力源,包括工作量和客户行为;资源和基础设施限制;柱头和附属柱头;缺乏机构支持和孤立。从MHPs的角度来看,除了抑郁、焦虑和压力之外,痛苦的性质和程度是“强烈痛苦”(急性)、“持续痛苦”(慢性)和“情绪痛苦”(倦怠的一个组成部分)的经历。因此,需要进行系统性调整,包括改善基础设施,为精神卫生服务提供更多资金,以及制定针对mhp的支持方案,以解决加纳mhp的心理困扰。
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