MENTAL HEALTH STATUS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL JOB DETERMINANT AMONG EMPLOYEES IN A MALAYSIAN HIGHER INSTITUTION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Abstract
Workplace mental health is becoming significant in higher education. Employment is one of the factors that can impair an employee's mental health, restricting their capacity to function well. This study aimed to assess mental health status among employees in a higher institution in Kuantan and its association with sociodemographic and job characteristics. An online survey was distributed using a random email list from September 2020 to October 2020. The employees were given the validated Malay versions of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress 21 (DASS-21) and the Job Content Questionnaire. Depression, anxiety, and stress were prevalent in 26.5%, 36.2% and 21.3% of these workers, respectively. Individuals who lived alone during the COVID-19 movement control order reported having stress symptoms (p = 0.04). Job insecurity was linked to anxiety (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] = 4.1, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.4, 11.71, p = 0.01), whereas employees with poor supervisor support had a significantly increased risk of depression (AOR = 7.4, 95% CI = 1.99, 27.5, p = 0.003), anxiety (AOR = 4.7, 95% CI = 1.15, 13.69, p = 0.03), and stress (AOR = 9.3, 95% CI = 2.09, 41.84, p = 0.003) compared to their counterpart. Our research concluded that this group of employees frequently reported depression, anxiety, and stress. The results also highlight that supervisor support and job security are significantly related to mental health problems. Employee depression, anxiety, and stress may be addressed by policies that encourage better supervisor support and job security.
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