Physiological Distress and Mental Well-Being among Working Women from Health Care Sector of Pakistan

Abstract

Background: In the contemporary health care industry, the physiological distress and mental well-being among the females has become a subject of significant concern and exposed to unique challenges having a great impact on their physical and mental wellbeing.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among females working in different hospitals of Pakistan. Physiological distress was determined by Kessler Psychological Distress Scale whereas mental well-being was assessed using a WHO mental well-being index. IBM SPSS Statistics version 27 was used for data analysis.

Results: Total 393 females with mean age of 36.86±9.19 years were included in study. We found 32% of females with poor mental health whereas 29.3% of females were found likely to be well, 9.4% with mild disorder, 26.5% with a moderate disorder, and 34.9% with a severe psychological disorder.  We found significant association of psychological distress with age, province, education status, working cadre, duration in current organization, job shift during past month, marital status, caring for elderly relative, and primary reason for doing job. Significant association of poor well-being was found with province, working cadre, organization type, duration in current organization, availability of a baby day care facility at workplace, caring for an elderly relative, primary reason for doing job, and current salary.

Conclusion: This study highlights the concerning prevalence of mental health issues among female healthcare workers, with a notable 32% experiencing poor mental health. Factors such as age, education, and work conditions significantly influence psychological well-being, indicating that targeted interventions could be beneficial.