Horvath Mariah, Kizito Simon, Ghiaseddin Roya, Irumba Lisa Christine, Mwesiga Mark Donald, Ahern Lacey N
Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
Eck Institute of Global Health, University of Notre Dame, IN, Notre Dame, USA.
Palliat Support Care. 2024 Oct 14:1-8. doi: 10.1017/S1478951524000889.
To identify the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and psychosocial distress among Ugandan palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, measure providers' perceived levels of social support, and identify factors affecting a provider's likelihood of being depressed, anxious, distressed, or perceiving various levels of social support.
Data was collected from 123 palliative care providers using an online survey. Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire, respectively. Information on perceived level of social support was gathered through the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The survey also asked about mental health resources available to providers at their place of work and what resources are still needed.
Participants ranged in age, gender, religion, marital status, clinical position, and years of experience in palliative care. Results indicate that 20% of respondents show signs of moderate to severe depression, 14% show signs of moderate to severe anxiety, and 33% show signs of psychological distress. Additionally, 50% of respondents reported a low total level of social support. Depression, anxiety, and psychological distress scores were all negatively correlated with perceived social support scores. Over 50% expressed a desire for additional mental health resources at their place of work.
In 2021-2022, the severity of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress varied among palliative care providers in Uganda, with some experiencing moderate to severe mental health effects. Higher degrees of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were correlated with lower levels of perceived social support, highlighting the importance of social support during times of crisis. The results highlight a desire for improved access to mental health resources and will help providers and organizations provide better support and better prepare for future crises.
确定在新冠疫情期间乌干达姑息治疗提供者中抑郁症、焦虑症和心理困扰的患病率，衡量提供者感知到的社会支持水平，并确定影响提供者出现抑郁、焦虑、困扰或感知不同水平社会支持可能性的因素。
通过在线调查收集了123名姑息治疗提供者的数据。分别使用患者健康问卷-9、广泛性焦虑障碍量表-7和自陈问卷来测量抑郁症、焦虑症和心理困扰。通过多维感知社会支持量表收集有关感知社会支持水平的信息。该调查还询问了提供者工作场所可获得的心理健康资源以及仍需要哪些资源。
参与者在年龄、性别、宗教、婚姻状况、临床职位和姑息治疗经验年限方面各不相同。结果表明，20%的受访者表现出中度至重度抑郁的迹象，14%表现出中度至重度焦虑的迹象，33%表现出心理困扰的迹象。此外，50%的受访者报告社会支持总水平较低。抑郁、焦虑和心理困扰得分均与感知社会支持得分呈负相关。超过50%的人表示希望在其工作场所获得更多心理健康资源。
在2021 - 2022年期间，乌干达姑息治疗提供者中抑郁、焦虑和心理困扰的严重程度各不相同，一些人经历了中度至重度的心理健康影响。更高程度的抑郁、焦虑和心理困扰与较低水平的感知社会支持相关，凸显了危机时期社会支持的重要性。结果凸显了改善心理健康资源获取的愿望，并将有助于提供者和组织提供更好的支持，为未来危机做好更充分准备。
