- Title
- Mental health at the COVID-19 frontline : an assessment of distress, fear, and coping among staff and attendees at screening clinics of rural/regional settings of Victoria, Australia
- Creator
- Rahman, Muhammad Aziz; Ford, Dale; Sousa, Grace; Hedley, Lorraine; Greenstock, Louise; Cross, Wendy; Brumby, Susan
- Date
- 2022
- Type
- Text; Journal article
- Identifier
- http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/185844
- Identifier
- vital:16792
- Identifier
-
https://doi.org/10.1111/jrh.12638
- Identifier
- ISBN:0890-765X (ISSN)
- Abstract
- Purpose: Research examining psychological well-being associated with COVID-19 in rural/regional Australia is limited. This study aimed to assess the extent of psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping strategies among the attendees in COVID-19 screening clinics at 2 rural Victorian settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2020 to February 2021 inclusive. Participants were invited to fill in an online questionnaire. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Brief Resilient Coping Scale were used to assess psychological distress, fear of COVID-19, and coping, respectively. Findings: Among 702 total participants, 69% were females and mean age (±SD) was 49 (±15.8) years. One in 5 participants (156, 22%) experienced high to very high psychological distress, 1 in 10 (72, 10%) experienced high fear, and more than half (397, 57%) had medium to high resilient coping. Participants with mental health issues had higher distress (AOR 10.4, 95% CI: 6.25-17.2) and fear (2.56, 1.41-4.66). Higher distress was also associated with having comorbidities, increased smoking (5.71, 1.04-31.4), and alcohol drinking (2.03, 1.21-3.40). Higher fear was associated with negative financial impact, drinking alcohol (2.15, 1.06-4.37), and increased alcohol drinking. Medium to high resilient coping was associated with being ≥60 years old (1.84, 1.04-3.24) and completing Bachelor and above levels of education. Conclusion: People who had pre-existing mental health issues, comorbidities, smoked, and consumed alcohol were identified as high-risk groups for poorer psychological well-being in rural/regional Victoria. Specific interventions to support the mental well-being of these vulnerable populations, along with engaging health care providers, should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Rural Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Rural Health Association.
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons Inc
- Relation
- Journal of Rural Health Vol. 38, no. 4 (2022), p. 773-787
- Rights
- All metadata describing materials held in, or linked to, the repository is freely available under a CC0 licence
- Rights
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
- Rights
- Copyright © 2021 The Authors
- Rights
- Open Access
- Subject
- 4206 Public health; 4404 Development studies; Coping; COVID-19; Mental health; Resilience; Rural
- Full Text
- Reviewed
- Funder
- This study was funded by Western Alliance COVID-19 grant round (Ref:WACV003)
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