Prevalence of Depression among Hospital Staff

Abstract

Background: Mental health problems are significant issues that have an impact on the work of officers, especially depression. This affects work in hospitals where the primary nature of work is to care for and help patients. Kap Choeng Hospital recognizes the importance of the mental health of hospital personnel. As a result, annual mental health assessments are administered to personnel. From the mental health assessment of Kap Choeng Hospital personnel in 2022, it was found that the majority of the problems identified were related to depression. Consequently, the researcher is interested in conducting a study using data from the mental health and drug work group to examine the prevalence of depression among staff at Kap Choeng Hospital. This study aims to provide foundational information to facilitate problem-solving, long-term protection, and the organization of activities aimed at promoting mental health in the future.
Objective: The aim is to determine the prevalence of depression among personnel at Kap Choeng Hospital and identify associated factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed to investigate the prevalence of depression among Kap Choeng Hospital staff. Purposive selection was utilized by gathering data exclusively from Kap Choeng Hospital personnel who responded to the mental health assessment via the Mental Health Check-In website. This website is compliant with the Personal Data Protection Act. Data collection took place from October 20, 2023, to November 20, 2023, with 137 individuals completing the questionnaire. The tools employed included general information questionnaires, the Willpower Screening Questionnaire (RQ), the Burnout Screening Questionnaire (Burn OUT), the Stress Screening Questionnaire (ST-5), the Depression Screening Questionnaire (2Q,9Q), and the Suicide Risk Screening Questionnaire (8Q). Descriptive statistics were utilized for data analysis, including frequencies, percentages, and the Fisher exact test to determine the relationship between factors in the incidence of depression among Kap Choeng Hospital staff.
Results: The study revealed that 18 staff members at Kap Choeng Hospital experienced depression, accounting for 13.1 percent of the total. Comparative analysis of the general data factors between Kap Choeng Hospital personnel with depression and those without depression was conducted using Fisher's exact statistics. It was discovered that job position factors were significantly associated with depression among Kap Choeng Hospital employees (P-value 0.021), and factors such as willpower, work burnout, and stress were also significantly correlated with depression among Kap Choeng Hospital employees (P-value < 0.001). However, factors such as gender, age, marital status, work group, and congenital disease showed no statistically significant relationship with depression among Kap Choeng Hospital staff.
Conclusion: The study found that 18 staff members at Kap Choeng Hospital experienced depression, accounting for 13.14 percent. Therefore, it is recommended to implement a yearly screening system for depression among hospital personnel and to continuously evaluate symptoms while ensuring appropriate follow-up treatment.