The Degree of Awareness Regarding the Effects of COVID-19 on Mental Health among Nurses Employed at COVID-19 Centers in Yenagoa City, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

The primary goal of this study is to ascertain the degree of awareness among nurses in the two primary healthcare facilities in Bayelsa State that were assigned to care for COVID-19 patients regarding the pandemic's effects on their mental health. These are the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) Okolobiri and the Yenagoa Ambulance Service. The dangerous virus that can spread the disease from person to person is the coronavirus, which is what caused the Corona Virus Disease in 2019 (also known as COVID-19). The Health Belief Model served as the study's theoretical foundation. The cross-sectional study design was used in the research. The 124 nurses who worked in these facilities made up the study population. That is, 80 women (76.2%) and 25 men (23.8%) from the Ambulance Service, or 120 from NDUTH. However, 105 Nurses voluntarily participated in the study (representing 84.7%). The researchers designed and developed the Knowledge of COVID-19 Assessment Scale (KCAC) as the data collection tool; mean and standard deviation were the descriptive statistics utilized to calculate the data obtained from the KCAC. The findings demonstrated that every nurse understood how COVID-19 affected their mental health. This study assesses the orientation program the Bayelsa State government arranged for them before enlisting them in the care of COVID-19 victims. Ultimately, it was suggested that all Bayelsa State nurses receive an identical orientation to increase their ability to care for COVID-19 and related illnesses.