The Psychological Reactions of Emergency Medical Services Personnel to COVID-19 in South Africa

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis in South Africa has brought about changes in the lifestyles and livelihoods of many citizens. The drastic steps taken by governments worldwide have escalated concerns amongst the population about effective measures to address it. Emergency services personnel are at the forefront of measures to manage the pandemic. How their conditions of work and exposure to infected citizens affect their psychological health is key in ensuring a responsive health system. In this study, we investigated the psychological health of emergency services personnel in the Free State province of South Africa. 1023 personnel completed an online survey and exploratory factor analysis was employed to extract three factors of concern to the respondents. The first factor indicated that most respondents experienced feelings of vulnerability in respect of contracting COVID-19. The second factor indicated a marginal split in the levels of knowledge held by respondents in respect of behaviours aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19. The third factor indicated low levels of knowledge pertaining to signs and symptoms of the pandemic. The results of a correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between the professional practices of personnel and their levels of perceived vulnerability. The need for support of health care workers in times of a pandemic were shown to be critical in the fight against the COVID-19.