Frontline Fatigue: The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Uttar Pradesh’s Healthcare Workers in India

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered healthcare systems and raised the possibility of psychological suffering among medical personnel. Healthcare workers are one of the most exposed groups in society. It causes worry, hypertension, stress, panic, uncertainty, apprehension, phobia, sorrow, insomnia and other symptoms, some individuals withdraw emotionally and socially out of fear. The current study was carried out in 2021 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya district was selected for the research due to its exceptionally high degree of COVID-19 severity out of 75 districts. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to gather primary data. The data was scored using the Likert scale. IBM SPSS Statistics-19 and Microsoft Excel were used for the analysis of data. The majority of healthcare workers had moderate levels of psychological stress, mental symptoms and knowledge regarding COVID-19. According to the findings, psychological stress declines with age and income because people are more inclined to take preventative actions. Furthermore, the psychological effects of COVID-19 were significantly correlated negatively with socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., married status, education, and gender). The respondents recommended that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing close contact are effective for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The significance of mental health issues in the healthcare industry was brought to light by this study. Further research on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that enhance mental health is required.