Depression, anxiety and coping mechanisms among mental healthcare practitioners during COVID-19

South African Journal of Psychiatry

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Depression, anxiety and coping mechanisms among mental healthcare practitioners during COVID-19
 
Creator Stals, Yolandi du Plessis, Edwin Pretorius, Paul J. Nel, Mariette Boateng, Alexander
 
Subject — COVID-19; depression; anxiety; mental healthcare; coping; coping strategies; mental healthcare practitioners; stress.
Description Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed the psychological functioning of mental healthcare practitioners under severe strain. Coping methods may affect mental health outcomes.Aim: The study examined the relationship between depression, anxiety, stress, and coping styles utilised by mental healthcare practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic.Setting: Three private and one public mental healthcare facility in Bloemfontein, South Africa.Methods: Respondents completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) inventories. An ordinal regression model was used to assess the relationship between coping styles, anxiety and depression.Results: A total of 212 practitioners were included in the analysis. According to DASS-21 measures, approximately 41% and 28% of respondents had moderate to severe depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively, with the highest prevalence among younger female respondents and nurses. The association between stress severity, anxiety and depression was significant. Avoidant coping methods and two approach coping strategies (planning and acceptance) were associated with depression and anxiety. Anxiety was linked to an increased likelihood of transitioning to higher avoidant categories, while participants with depression were less likely to move to higher avoidant or approach categories.Conclusion: Mental healthcare practitioners, especially nurses, experienced significant COVID-19-related psychological distress during the pandemic. Avoidant coping mechanisms may increase the risk of poor mental health outcomes.Contribution: This study added data on the mental health effects of COVID-19 on mental healthcare practitioners, as well as psychological methods used to cope during the pandemic.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-10-09
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v30i0.2307
 
Source South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 30 (2024); 10 pages 2078-6786 1608-9685
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2307/3581 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2307/3582 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2307/3583 https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/2307/3584
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Yolandi Stals, Edwin du Plessis, Paul J. Pretorius, Mariette Nel, Alexander Boateng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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