Content area
Healthcare workers in Africa face considerable stress due to factors like long working hours, heavy workloads and limited resources, leading to psychological distress. Generally, countries in the global north have well-established policies and employee wellness programs for mental health compared to countries in the global south. This scoping review aimed to synthesize evidence from published and grey literature on workplace mental health promotion interventions targeting African healthcare workers using Social Ecological Model (SEM) and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model as an underlying theoretical framework for analysis. Arksey and O’Malley framework for scoping reviews was used. The search was conducted across multiple databases. A total of 5590 results were retrieved from Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science. Seventeen (17) studies from ten (10) African countries were included after title, abstract and full text screening. Thematic analysis identified 5 key themes namely training programs, counselling services, peer support programs, relaxation techniques and informational resources. In conclusion, even though limited workplace mental health interventions for healthcare professionals were identified in Africa, individual-level interventions have been notably substantial in comparison to organizational and policy-level initiatives. Moving forward, a multi-faceted approach unique to the African context is essential.
Details
Grey literature;
Work environment;
Inclusion;
Work life balance;
Mental health care;
Employees;
Intervention;
Medical personnel;
Mental disorders;
Well being;
Health promotion;
Disease prevention;
Health services;
Disease control;
Post traumatic stress disorder;
Comparative studies;
Databases;
Working hours;
Occupational stress;
Health needs;
Work site programmes;
Mental health services;
Health education;
Psychological distress;
Job characteristics;
Ecological studies;
Workloads;
Relaxation;
Workplaces;
Resources;
Mental health promotion;
Professionals;
Counseling services;
Social support;
Individual differences;
Medical screening;
Educational programs
1 Department of Psychiatry Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Health Planning Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria
2 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS, USA
3 Department of Health Planning Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria
4 Geoffrey & Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
5 Royal United Hospital Bath, Bath, UK; NHS, UK
6 National Mental Health Programme, Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria
7 Department of Psychiatry Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada