Psychological Distress of Healthcare Workers in ASEAN Countries: A Review

Abstract

Psychological distress has long been present among healthcare workers in a global scope for years. The vulnerability of HCWs towards psychological discomfort is heightened due to the nature of their work such as lengthy shifts, fast paced environment, and lack of necessary social support. It is also hard to assess. There is a pressing need to know the types and factors of healthcare workers’ psychological distress as this does not only affect them, but also their family, patients and the society. Highlighting the psychological well-being of HCWs impact their productivity, competence and lower any risk factors related. The goal of this review is to provide a summary of the prevalence of psychological distress among healthcare workers in countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The articles and journals used for this review were gathered and collected from electronic databases such as PubMed Central, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. The results generated in this review had the same perspectives with the other studies. Among all the types of psychological distress reported by various sources within ASEAN countries, stress was the most common. This is followed by anxiety and depression, respectively. Other types include fear, burnout, sadness, PTSD, fatigue, emotional weariness, and mental exhaustion. Healthcare workers are most exposed to various cases of conditions in their workplace and/or problems of society in relation to their work. This makes them susceptible to psychological distress which affects their quality of life and performance. There is a need to address this concern, and provide effective physical and mental support by the healthcare system and policymakers for the betterment of healthcare access and delivery to the general population. Future researchers should focus on investigating existing and psychological interventions and probable support towards the vulnerable HCWs in ASEAN and other countries.