Abstract
BackgroundMental health service providers are frequently exposed to stress and violence in the line of duty. There is a dearth of data concerning the psychological sequelae of the frequent exposure to stress and violence, especially among those who work in resource-limited countries such as Botswana.AimTo determine the prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among mental health workers in a tertiary mental health institute in Botswana.SettingThe study was conducted in Sbrana Psychiatric Hospital, which is the only referral psychiatric hospital in Botswana.MethodsThe study used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 201 mental health workers completed a researcher-designed psycho-socio-demographic questionnaire, which included one neuroticism item of the Big Five Inventory, and a PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), which was used to assess symptoms of PTSD.ResultsMajority of the study participants were general nurses (n = 121, 60.5%) and females (n = 122, 60.7%). Thirty-seven (18.4%) of the participants met the criteria for PTSD. Exposure to violence in the past 12 months (AOR = 3.26; 95% CI: 1.49–7.16) and high neuroticism score (AOR = 2.72; 95% CI: 1.19–6.24) were significantly associated with the diagnosis of PTSD among the participants.ConclusionPost-traumatic stress disorder could result from stressful events encountered in the course of managing patients in mental health institutes and departments. Pre-placement personality evaluation of health workers to be assigned to work in psychiatric units and post-incident trauma counselling of those exposed to violence may be beneficial in reducing the occurrence of PTSD in mental hospital health care workers.
Highlights
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a consequence of exposure to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, either by direct exposure, by being a witness to the trauma or by learning that a close friend or family member was exposed to trauma
According to the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) score, 37 (18.4%) of the respondents met the criteria for PTSD diagnosis
This study revealed that the odds of developing PTSD are more than thrice as high following http://www.sajpsychiatry.org exposure to assault in the past 12 months which emphasises the role of physical violence in the development of PTSD
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a consequence of exposure to death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, either by direct exposure, by being a witness to the trauma or by learning that a close friend or family member was exposed to trauma. It is characterised by re-experiencing the traumatic event, for example, having nightmares and flashbacks; hyper-arousal; avoidance of stimuli-related to the traumatic event; negative thoughts or feelings evidenced by excessive blame of self or others for causing the trauma; isolating self; and inability to remember important details about the trauma.[1] Persistence of these symptoms and other associated symptoms beyond a 30-day period from the time of exposure to the stressful or triggering events is required for the diagnosis to be made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).[1]. There is a dearth of data concerning the psychological sequelae of the frequent exposure to stress and violence, especially among those who work in resource-limited countries such as Botswana
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