COVID-19 and Psychological Wellbeing of Frontline Workers in Ghana
Covid-19 and the psychological wellbeing of frontline workers in Ghana*
PIs: Dr Samuel Adjorlolo (Department of Mental Health, University of Ghana, Ghana) & Dr Justice Tankebe (Institute of Criminology/Law, University of Cambridge, UK)
Since its outbreak in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic. Throughout this time, governments have continued to take various measures to control the spread of the virus. These measures include a physical distancing and lockdown (‘stay home orders’) both aimed at limiting contacts with potential carriers of the virus. For health workers and police officers, being in daily contacts with patients and the general public means potentially heightened anxiety. This study aims to investigate the nature and correlates of psychological wellbeing among these professionals in Ghana.
To accomplish this task, an online questionnaire containing multiple choice questions on psychological wellbeing will be designed and hosted on SurveyMonkey, an online research platform. A link to the questionnaire will be shared on a social media platform accessible to police officers and registered nurses only. Four waves of surveys are planned to track change and stability in wellbeing and coping strategies. These will be complemented by two waves of in-depth interviews. The study promises crucial data on the effects of responding to COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, on frontline response groups, providing evidence for early interventions to improve the wellbeing of these groups.
*This project is supported by a Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund COVID-19 Emergency Award.