Paper Title
MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONALS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN
BANGLADESH: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
Subhra Rani Das , Namita Rani Sarkar , Nazmunnahar , Sultana Razia, Sumaiya Khanam, Sharmin Sultana
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have gone through the most critical period of their professional lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This condition required diligent management, and they had to protect themselves without showing any disregard for their responsibilities. A comprehensive understanding of the mental health problems among HCPs is essential since they are at higher risk of developing psychological distress. This cross-sectional study attempts to identify the mental health impact among HCPs amid the pandemic of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. A convenience sampling technique was adopted to recruit the target participants. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire. A total of 483 HCPs from 10 public and 2 private hospitals participated in this study with a mean age of 30.89 (± 5.647) years. Percentage of depression (60.5 %), fear of being COVID-19 infected (76.0 %), and fear of infecting family members (86.3 %) were interpreted. Among them, 29.6% reported low stress, 63.6% presented moderate stress, and 6.8% reported high perceived stress. Adequate mental health support should be implemented to tackle the mental health problems among HCPs and ensure better healthcare services during health emergencies.
Mental Health Problems, Healthcare Professionals, COVID-19, Pandemic, Bangladesh