Table 3.
Mental health and perceived stigma among health care providers in a phone-based survey in five sub-Saharan African countries, 2021*
| Burkina Faso | Ethiopia | Nigeria | Tanzania | Ghana | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ouagadougou
|
Addis Ababa
|
Ibadan and Lagos
|
Dar es Salaam
|
Kintampo
|
Total
|
|
Number of health care providers
|
300 |
277 |
312 |
310 |
300 |
1499 |
|
Mental health outcomes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Mild psychological distress†‡ |
19 (6.3) |
23 (8.3) |
25 (8.0) |
12 (3.9) |
62 (20.7) |
141 (9.4) |
| Moderate psychological distress†‡ |
3 (1.0) |
13 (4.8) |
12 (3.9) |
2 (0.7) |
28 (9.4) |
58 (3.9) |
| Severe psychological distress†‡ |
2 (0.7) |
4 (1.5) |
3 (1.0) |
0 (0) |
12 (4.0) |
21 (1.4) |
| High anxiety scoreठ|
6 (2.0) |
19 (7.0) |
29 (9.3) |
6 (1.9) |
57 (19.1) |
117 (7.8) |
| High depression scoreठ|
7 (2.3) |
25 (9.2) |
11 (3.5) |
0 (0) |
46 (15.4) |
89 (6.0) |
|
Perceived stigma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Social avoidance or rejection |
19 (6.3) |
31 (11.2) |
57 (18.3) |
47 (15.2) |
53 (17.7) |
207 (13.8) |
| Denial of health care, education, housing, or employment |
2 (0.7) |
13 (4.7) |
12 (3.9) |
5 (1.6) |
14 (4.7) |
46 (3.1) |
| Physical violence |
5 (1.7) |
6 (2.2) |
30 (9.6) |
3 (1.0) |
22 (7.3) |
66 (4.4) |
| Received Acknowledgment | 103 (34.3) | 79 (28.5) | 213 (68.3) | 97 (31.3) | 223 (74.6) | 715 (47.7) |
N – number of observations
*Number of observations (percentage).
†Psychological distress was measured using the four-item Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety Scale (PHQ-4). Each item assessed whether the participant had experienced problems related to depression or anxiety over the past two weeks and had a numeric score ranging from 0 for “Not at all,” 1 for “Several days,” 2 for “More than half the days,” and 3 for “Nearly every day.” A total score was computed by adding up the scores of the four items, with a range of 0-12. The total score of psychological distress was categorized into none (total score = 0-2), mild (total score = 3-5), moderate (total score = 6-8), and severe (total score = 9-12).
‡one observation in Ethiopia and Nigeria is missing.
§An anxiety subscale (range = 0-6) and a depression subscale (range = 0-6) were created using the scores of the first and last two PHQ-4 questions. A subscale score of 3 or greater was considered a high level of anxiety and depression.