Psychological Effects of Covid-19 Care; A Qualitative Study of Health Care Workers in Punjab Pakistan: Psychological Effects of Covid-19 Care

Afsheen  Talat; Shaheer  Ellahi Khan; Khurram  Ellahi Khan

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v4i02.600

Authors

Afsheen Talat Association for Social Development, Islamabad, Pakistan
Shaheer Ellahi Khan Health Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad, Pakistan
Khurram Ellahi Khan Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v4i02.600

Keywords:

Psychological Distress, Job Stress, Covid Centers, Covid-19, Healthcare Workers, Mental health

Abstract

The pandemic has caused severe psychological distress among Healthcare Workers. They were readily exposed to extreme workloads and physical and emotional turbulence throughout the pandemic which impacted them on both professional and personal fronts. Objectives: To explore the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on the mental health of the Healthcare Workers while delving into the relationship between occupational stress, communal norms, and mental health outcomes. Methods: It utilizes content gathered through observation and in-depth interviews of the frontline Healthcare Workers (n=32) that included doctors (n=14), nurses (n=12), and domestic staff (n=6) working in three COVID-19 treatment centers made in three major cities of Punjab, Pakistan, (Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sialkot) during Covid-19. Results: The results were divided into two themes followed by their sub-themes based on the results gathered through data collection tools. The themes were analyzed using the transactional model of stress and coping. The results reveal that the psychological distress faced by HCWs is directly related to occupational stress such as extreme workload/demand, while other challenges include fighting the community-imposed stigmas against the pandemic and social isolation. Conclusions: Psychological distress is a raising concern; current evidence reveals that low- and moderate-income communities, particularly in South Asian nations, have little or no understanding of workplace stress and its repercussions. Therefore, this study investigated Healthcare Workers’ perspectives on mental health concerning the pandemic.

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