Levels and predictors of anxiety, depression, and stress during COVID-19 pandemic among frontline healthcare providers in Gurage zonal public hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020: A multicenter cross-sectional study

• Published in: PloS one 2021-11, Vol.16 (11), p.e0259906-e0259906
• Main Authors: GebreEyesus, Fisha Alebel, Tarekegn, Tadesse Tsehay, Amlak, Baye Tsegaye, Shiferaw, Bisrat Zeleke, Emeria, Mamo Solomon, Geleta, Omega Tolessa, Terefe, Tamene Fetene, Mammo Tadereregew, Mtiku, Jimma, Melkamu Senbeta, Degu, Fatuma Seid, Abdisa, Elias Nigusu, Eshetu, Menen Amare, Misganaw, Natnael Moges, Chanie, Ermias Sisay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Biology and Life Sciences; Chi square analysis; Chi-square test; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-sectional studies; Data collection; Dependent variables; Depression, Mental; Epidemics; Ethiopia; Fatalities; Health aspects; Health care; Health problems; Hospitals; Hospitals, Public; Income; Medical personnel; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Pandemics; People and Places; Psychological aspects; Random sampling; Regression analysis; Risk factors; Sampling techniques; Significance; Social aspects; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Statistical sampling; Statistical significance; Statistical tests; Stress; Stress (Psychology); Surveys
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259906

The provision of quality health care during the COVID-19 pandemic depends largely on the health of health care providers. However, healthcare providers as the frontline caregivers dealing with infected patients, are more vulnerable to mental health problems. Despite this fact, there is scarce information regarding the mental health impact of COVID-19 among frontline health care providers in South-West Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the levels and predictors of anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among frontline healthcare providers in Gurage zonal public hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 322 health care providers from November 10-25, 2020 in Gurage zonal health institutions. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A pretested self -administered structured questionnaire was used as a data collection technique. The data were entered into the Epi-data version 3.01 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (chi-square tests) were presented Bivariable and Multivariable logistic regression analyses were made to identify variables having a significant association with the dependent variables. The results of this study had shown that the overall prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress among health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic was 36%, [95% CI = (30.7%- 41.3%)], 25.8% [95% CI = (21.1%- 30.4%)] and 31.4% [95% CI = (26.4%- 36.0%)] respectively. Age, Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR = 7.9], Educational status, [AOR = 3.2], low monthly income [AOR = 1.87], and presence of infected family members [AOR = 3.3] were statistically associated with anxiety. Besides this, gender, [AOR = 1.9], masters [AOR = 10.8], and degree holder [AOR = 2.2], living with spouse [AOR = 5.8], and family [AOR = 3.9], being pharmacists [AOR = 4.5], and physician [AOR = (0.19)], were found to be statistically significant predictors of depression among health care providers. Our study finding also showed that working at general [AOR = 4.8], and referral hospitals [AOR = 3.2], and low monthly income [AOR = 2.3] were found to be statistically significant predictors of stress among health care providers. Based on our finding significant numbers of healthcare providers were suffered from anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. So, the Government and other stakeholders sh