ASSESSMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND THE USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DEBRIEFING AMONG EMERGENCY ROOM NURSES OF TERTIARY HOSPITALS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Emergency room (ER) nursing can be very stimulating, but can also be unpredictable and demanding. Few studies have revealed that ER nurses are at increased risk of anxiety, burnout, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychological debriefing (PD) has in recent time being advocated as a tool necessary to manage these work related stress. There is however a paucity of data on the practice of PD especially among nurses in African setting. This study therefore sought to explore the usage and extent at which PD affect mental health status of ER nurses in selected hospitals in Ogun State. The study adopted a mixed method research design. The quantitative phase involved a cross-sectional survey conducted within a six-week period. A total of 144 nurses in tertiary hospitals within Ogun state were recruited for the study using a structured questionnaire composed of standardized instruments to evaluate mental health status, knowledge of PD as well as its practice. Questionnaires were administered as an online survey while the qualitative phase involved the use of interview method with open ended questions that focused on the nurses’ leaders. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 28.0, relationship between variables were determined using Chi-square test with level of significance set at p < 0.05. The findings of this study revealed that a majority of the emergency room nurses had a poor (33.7%) to average (34.9%) level of knowledge on mental health and PD. Specifically, 74.7% of the respondents had not participated in PD sessions before. Meanwhile a large proportion were seen to have a poor mental health outlook as 81.9% in total reported cases of moderate to severe clinical insomnia. On further evaluation, 84.3% of the respondents admitted not to have sought professional help or counseling on their mental health, while only 19.3% claimed to have PD sessions in their workplace. Those that practiced PD significantly had a better mental health outlook/insomnia state compared to those who did not (χ2 = 19.14; p = 0.004). The Knowledge of PD was also shown to play a significant role in its practice (χ2 = 19.14; p = 0.004). In-depth interview of the nurse leaders’ on PD, revealed a general lack of knowledge on the subject and a significant lack of standardized instruments for measuring mental health status in work places. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the mental health challenges faced by ER nurses and underscores the importance of PD as a potential intervention to support nurses’ wellbeing.