{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T17:07:37Z","timestamp":1785431257223,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"AOSIS","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]],"date-time":"2024-02-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1709164800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Since 2020, the world has been battling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The mortality and morbidity at the height of the pandemic sparked generalised fear and uncertainty about the future. Concerns were raised about the psychological impact of the pandemic on workers in healthcare systems globally. This study was conducted to establish the degree of psychological impact of the pandemic on frontline health workers in Lesotho.\n\nMethods:\u00a0The study used a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. The Kessler psychological distress screening tool (K-10) and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for civilians (PCL-C) were administered to screen for psychological distress among clinical staff at St. Joseph\u2019s Hospital in Roma and its four Health Centres. Additional open- and closed-ended questions were added for context. Data were analysed using Fisher\u2019s exact tests, Pearson chi-square tests and correlation studies.\n\nResults:\u00a0Of the 101 participants, 42 (41.6%) scored \u2265 24 on the K-10 scale (95% CI: 32.0% \u2013 51.2%) indicating moderate to severe psychological distress and 32 (31.7%) scored \u2265 50 on the PCL-C checklist suggesting severe PTSD (95% CI: 24.5% \u2013 42.9%). High scores on the K-10 were found more among men than women (17 [37.8%] vs. 4 [7.1%];\u00a0p\u00a0\u2264 0.001). Post-traumatic stress disorder was more in the younger age group (p\u00a0\u2264 0.03), in those reporting anxiety (p\u00a0= 0.005) and those with more co-morbidities (p\u00a0\u2264 0.001).\n\nConclusion:\u00a0This study revealed the grave psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline clinical health workers in Lesotho.\n\nContribution:\u00a0These data will assist health leaders and policymakers to implement mental health support interventions for health workers in future.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/safp.v66i1.5785","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]],"date-time":"2024-02-29T18:12:20Z","timestamp":1709230340000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Psychological distress and PTSD among clinicians in Roma, Lesotho during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.4102","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2744-6024","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muila","family":"Kambulandu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Lesotho Boston Health Alliance"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8779-5763","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Radiance M.","family":"Ogundipe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lesotho Boston Health Alliance"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-4453-4223","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mariel","family":"Bryden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lesotho Boston Health Alliance"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-9608-6871","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lebohang","family":"Sao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Government of Lesotho"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8934-4181","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dave M.","family":"Thompson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/0457zbj98","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8562-790X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chelsea M.","family":"McGuire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Lesotho Boston Health Alliance"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6497-2437","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brian W.","family":"Jack","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05qwgg493","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Boston University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","unstructured":"WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard [homepage on the Internet]. 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