AN ASSESSMENT OF DEPRESSION AMONG PRACTISING RADIOGRAPHERS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

 

ABSTRACT

Generally, Radiographers’ psychological health is left unnoticed not just by the people in society but by the radiographers too. In developed countries like the USA, a lot of work has been done to assess radiographers’ psychological or mental status, however developing nations like Nigeria significantly fall behind. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.  A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Population census data was used to select all the 125 Radiographers at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital into the study. However,

111 were available and participated in the study. A structured questionnaire and a modified DASS-21 was used to measure the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression, whiles data was analysed with STATA version 15. The study showed that Radiographers experience stress, anxiety and depression. Further enquiries revealed that workload was a major determinant of stress. Although the study sought to determine the association between stress, anxiety and depression and the different professional ranks and gender, the findings were statistically insignificant; other independent variables such as marital status, department and work experience were rather found to be significantly associated with stress, anxiety and depression. “Radiographers are not immune” to stress, anxiety and depression. This should prompt measures which would help improve their psychological health, which would in turn improve on patient care.

 

Key Words: stress, anxiety, depression, prevalence, Radiographers

 

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Work-related stress at present, is normally recognised as a worldwide problem that has an effect on every career and every employee in low and middle income countries as well as in industrialised countries (ILO, 2016). It is worth mentioning that, the workforce is the most important asset of any organisation (DeNisi and Griffin, 2015). Therefore, the health and wellbeing of the workforce are essential for optimum performance and productivity of organisations (Alhassan and Poku, 2018). In the absence of ‘health at work’, an individual cannot make contributions to his or her society and to his or her own welfare. Whenever

‘health at work’ is jeopardised, productive work and socio-economic growth become difficult to attain. Mental ill-health is extremely important. It has an effect on people’s wellbeing by cutting down wages, and as a result affecting the finances of families’ and the productivity of enterprises, and also producing great costs, both direct and indirect to the economy (ILO, 2016). According to the Health and Safety Executive (2018), stress, depression or anxiety is more predominant in the public sector work like teaching and healthcare. In other words, professions that are demanding have been related to poor psychological or mental health because of several factors including working for long hours and evening shift (Yahaya et al., 2018).

Medicine is one such profession recognised as stressful, which time and again have a negative impact on the psychological, social and physical health of radiographers and their performance as a whole. Radiographers face numerous emotional states and challenges in conversion from insecure house officers to young well-informed medical officers before progressing in life to become consultants. Concerns are emerging about emotional distress in the medical field which usually begins during the training of Radiographers while they are in medical schools (Fawzy and Hamed, 2017).

Stress in medicine has become a relevant subject, partially because medical care includes dealing with the lives of people and errors can be very expensive and at times irrevocable. Accordingly, it is anticipated that Radiographers, nurses and other health care workers have to be in a “perfect state of mind devoid of morbid worries and anxiety”, so that they can take care of the enormous healthcare responsibility that is required of them. There is substantial proof that, health care associated stress affects healthcare workers negatively (Yeboah et al., 2014). These negative effects may include prescription errors, lack of team work, absenteeism, alcohol and drug abuse, depression and anxiety and even suicide (Shapiro et al., 2000).

Depression is a common ailment which is characterised by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in the activities that one usually love to do (WHO, 2017a). It normally occurs due to a combination of factors such as stress, personal life, and demands of work and workload of a physician. Globally, it is estimated that over 300 million people suffer from depression; this is equal to 4.4% of the world’s population. Almost the same number is also believed to suffer from anxiety, since many people experience both conditions at the same time. Depression and anxiety affect the feelings of affected people and can be diagnosed (WHO, 2017b).

Every individual experiences anxiety at some point in his or her life. According to Shiel Jr. (2018) anxiety is a feeling of fear characterised by symptoms such as trembling, worrying and feelings of stress. Anxiety makes people nervous, afraid, uneasy, and distressful. These conditions have an effect on one’s feelings and demeanour and usually lead to physical and emotional symptoms. Mild anxiety is indistinct and unnerving, whereas severe anxiety can badly have an effect on daily life. Research shows that Radiographers undergo personal distress during their medical training and later in their practical life (Roberts, 1991), and it may even get to the level of physician burnout (Willcock et al., 2004).

 

1.2 Problem Statement

Aside, radiographers being impacted by similar factors that impose stress on the populace, they are additionally susceptible to stress due to the distinctiveness of their work and the expectation of the society in general (Yeboah et al., 2014). Radiographers by virtue of their work which is inundated with stress are at peculiar danger of carrying psychological health problems which might lead to anxiety and depression or worsen it (Atif et al., 2016). Studies show that the prevalence rates of stress, anxiety and depression are high among Radiographers (AlFahhad, 2018; Dave et al., 2018; Caplan, 1994). In industrialised countries like the USA and Canada, a lot of work has been done to assess the psychological or mental position of radiographers, yet low and middle income countries significantly fall behind (Erdur et al., 2006). Little research exists on the rates of depression and anxiety in Africa and especially in Nigeria. Although a number of research has been done on the stress of nurses in Nigeria (Adzakpah, 2017; Dorcoo, 2016; Egungwu, 2015;  Dapaah, 2014 ) and among health care workers in general (Yeboah et al, 2014; Abdulai, 2011) there is still a dearth of research on the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers in Nigeria. Besides, in Nigeria, the public health sector is among the sectors in which much has not been done concerning formulating policies on the management of stress amongst its workers whether medical or paramedical. Although Teaching and Regional hospitals, more or less have introduced policies to help workers cope with stress, continuous research is still necessary to examine the main factors of stress among the diverse groups of the workforce (Yeboah et al., 2014).

A typical first year house officer is usually faced with a huge workload every day. The number of radiographers are not enough for the huge number of patients. Also, there are usually no counselling sessions for house officers or radiographers amid the sleepless nights and dealing with relatives of patients who had passed on. Most house officers are stressed out and anxious with some having the intention to quit their jobs after their housemanship. Based on the foregoing, it is highly conceivable that most Radiographers in healthcare facilities in Nigeria may be facing these problems.

It is against these backgrounds that this study attempted to assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital with a view to proposing measures to combat them.

 

1.3 Research Questions

1. What is the proportion of Radiographers who are living with stress, anxiety and depression at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital?
2. What are the factors that contribute to stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital?
3. What is the association between the prevalence stress, anxiety and depression and the different ranks and gender of Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital?

 

1.4 General Objective

To determine the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.

 

1.5 Specific Objectives

1. To assess the proportion of Radiographers who are living with stress, anxiety and depression at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.
2. To identify the factors that contribute to stress, anxiety and depression among Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.
3. To determine the association between the prevalence of stress, anxiety and depression and the different professional ranks and gender of Radiographers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.

 

 1.7 Conceptual Framework

Figure 1.1 below presents the conceptual framework developed for the study.

The relationship between Stress, Anxiety and Depression (SAD) are such that depression may be both a cause and an effect of psychological stress and anxiety. In some reports, stress is seen as a start point which then leads to anxiety and depression (ILO, 2016, Kinicki and Williams, 2011). For instance, the ILO (2016) reports that when stress levels are high, it can lead to health-related problems such as psychological and behavioural conditions like anxiety, depression, exhaustion, burnout etc. From Figure 1.1 below, the causes of stress may include workload, inadequate material and financial resources, long working hours, little control over the job such as dealing with emergency situations, socio-demographic features like sex and age; family issues, financial strain and many other factors. The causes of SAD are influenced by individual differences like perceptions of SAD or coping strategies. Increased levels of SAD are expressed in 3 main symptoms – physiological, psychological and behavioural; but the study focused on the psychological symptoms. These symptoms may as a consequence affect the productivity and performance of Radiographers.

AN ASSESSMENT OF DEPRESSION AMONG PRACTISING RADIOGRAPHERS IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

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