Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in Kosovo During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACTThis study explored the mental health of healthcare practitioners in Kosovo during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the prevalence of stress, depression, and anxiety, and the associated individual, family, and work-related factors. The research employed a cross-sectional design with a sample of 449 healthcare workers from two hospitals in Kosovo. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental health symptoms, while socio-demographic and work-related information was collected through a questionnaire.Based on the descriptive statistics of DASS-21 scores, the prevalence of mental health issues among the participants included high levels of depression (18%), anxiety (25%), and stress (22%). The DASS-21 scores revealed mild depression, moderate anxiety, and moderate stress levels. ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse disparities and differences among groups and identified individual and family-related factors associated with higher rates of stress, depression, and anxiety. The prevalence of stress was higher among healthcare workers in rural areas compared to those in urban areas, ( pp< .05), and nurses experienced more anxiety than doctors (p < .001). Healthcare workers with no children experienced lower levels of depression compared to those with one or two children (p < .05). The study found that 79.4% of healthcare workers had contracted COVID-19, with 5.4% requiring hospitalization. Those who had personally contracted COVID-19 or who had family members who had contracted COVID-19 experienced more depression and anxiety than those who did not. Despite these challenges, only 4.4% sought psychological support during the pandemic, although 47.7% reported implementing self-care strategies. The most common self-care strategies included meditation, family support, and peer support. Those who implemented more self-care strategies also reported experiencing more stress (p < .05).The study’s results contributed to the understanding of the mental health challenges faced by healthcare practitioners in Kosovo during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for targeted interventions and support strategies and emphasizing the importance of addressing individual, family, and work-related factors in promoting the mental health and well-being of healthcare practitioners during crises.