Assessment of Mental Health and Well-Being among Health Workers in Kintampo North Municipality.

Abstract

Health workers play a pivotal role in providing essential services to individuals and communities at large, contributing significantly to the overall well-being of individuals and society. This study assessed the prevalence, work-related risk factors, predictors, and coping mechanisms for mental health disorders among health workers in Kintampo North Municipality. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 316 health workers. Data on demographics, work-related risk factors, and coping mechanisms were obtained using a closed-ended questionnaire. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Maslach’s Burnout Inventory (MBI), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were used to assess the prevalence of stress, burnout, depression, and anxiety, respectively. Data were analysed using the STATA version of the 14 (StataCorp, College Station, USA). Descriptive statistics were performed to generate frequency and percentage. Pearson’s chisquare tests were performed to determine differences in proportion; logistic regression analyses were performed to compute odd ratios and identify the factors or predictors that were significantly associated with mental health disorders (p < 0.05) at a 95% (CI). The majority (57.9%) of the participants were females, 41.5% were between 18-25 years old. It was revealed that 36.1% of health workers were severely stressed, 28.8% were burnout, 31.6% were severely depressed, and 34.7% showed severe anxiety. Work-related factors affecting mental health included job dissatisfaction (85.4%), rotational shifts (73.7%), and increased workload (88.0%). Socio-demographic factors such as being female, educational attainment, and occupational category were associated with varying mental health outcomes. Coping strategies identified were mindfulness, physical exercise, seeking support, and setting realistic goals. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to improve health workers’ mental health, such as reducing workloads, enhancing work conditions, and providing mental health services.