Perceived Stress and Its Associated Factors towards Covid-19 Outbreaks Among Health Professionals of Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital, Southeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Frontline health workers are encountering an increasing
workload and risk of infection while saving lives and it was reported that
infected health workers accounted for 29% of all hospitalized COVID-19
patients during early pandemic. Thus they are under psychological distress
because of risk of contracting COVID-19.
Objectives: To assess the perceiving stress and its associated factors towards
COVID-19 outbreaks among health professionals of Asella referral and
teaching hospital, Arsi zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, June 2020.
Methods: An institutional based cross sectional study design was conducted
from June 1 - 20, 2020. Simple random sampling technique and proportional
allocation was used. Data was collected by trained BSc nurses in face to face
by using pretested and structured questionnaire and entered into Epi-info and
exported to SPSS for analysis and presented by descriptive statistics.
Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression was used.
Result: The prevalence of perceived stress was 60.8%. The married were
more stressed than divorced individuals, (AOR: 1.213, 95 CI: (1.199, 3.571).
Protestant (AOR: 2.552, 95% CI: (1.098, 10.846) stressed more than Waaqeffata religion followers. Amhara (AOR: 1.757, 95% CI: (1.337, 9.158)
more likely stressed than Siltey ethnicity.
Conclusion: This study revealed health professionals found to have high
perceived stress. Religion, marital status and ethnicity were found to have a
statistically significant association with perceived stress. Early screening and
intervention of psychological stress of health professionals were highly
recommended.