Mental Health Status of Healthcare Workers in Primary Health Clinics in Sepang

Objective:  The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among healthcare workers, and their associated factors in primary health clinics setting.  Method:  This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014 among healthcare workers in primary health clinics in Sepang, Selangor. All staff consisting of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied healthcare professionals were recruited. Anxiety, depression and psychological distress were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). Sociodemographic data, workload and length of service were also collected.  Result:  152 participants completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of anxiety, depression and psychological distress among healthcare workers were 30.3%, 36.8%, and 10.5% respectively. Male gender (X  2 : 7.40, p = 0.007), working in Klinik Kesihatan (Fisher exact: 0.04, p = 0.042), position (X  2 : 25.08, p < 0.001) and higher income (X  2 : 5.43, p = 0.020) were found to be associated with anxiety. Meanwhile, gender (X  2 : 3.98, p = 0.046), working place (Fisher exact: 0.001, p = 0.002), and position (X  2 : 17.46, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with depression. Only ethnicity (Fisher exact: 0.016, p = 0.002) and resources (X  2 : 4.874, p = 0.027) were significantly associated with being psychological distressed. However, in the multivariate analysis being a nurse was protective for anxiety (aOR = 0.16) and depression (aOR = 0.23).  Conclusion:  Overall, the mental health status of primary healthcare workers is good. Being a nurse was found to be associated with lower anxiety and depression. Please click PDF below to download the full paper...