Conditions de travail et la detresse psychologique du personnel soignant dans les hopitaux de yaounde

Abstract

Psychological distress at work is a concern for researchers working to propose strategies to improve the psychological well-being of workers. This issue has been the subject of numerous research (Cadieux & Marchand, 2015; Goyette, 2015; Guemeta Tsayem, 2020; Negueu et al., 2019; René et al., 2020; Roy, 2009; Vila Masse, 2017). Despite this plethora of research, very few have linked the three variables of Karasek and Théorell (1990), and psychological distress in the field of health, in the African context in general and Cameroonian in particular. Thus, the present study starts from the problem of the deterioration of psychological health of nursing staff in hospitals in Yaoundé, and aims to verify whether the psychological distress of nursing staff in hospitals in Yaoundé is linked to perceived working conditions. In order to achieve this research objective, a general hypothesis was formulated, and here is its statement: The psychological distress of nursing staff in Yaoundé hospitals is linked to the perception of their working conditions. Data collected from 102 healthcare workers in Yaoundé hospitals using a self-reported questionnaire were processed by correlation analyzes and simple linear regression analyses. The results of these analyzes generally reveal that: hospital working conditions are significantly linked to psychological distress at work. In other words, among the three dimensions of working conditions in hospitals, workload increases caregivers’ psychological distress; while decision-making latitude and social support at work reduce the psychological distress of caregivers in Yaoundé hospitals. These results make it possible to understand the impact of working conditions on the psychological health of workers in the health sector. Thus, health managers would benefit from implementing management measures likely to generate a better feeling of the experience of working conditions among healthcare personnel. Because this feeling seems to reflect their perception of their working conditions, and is therefore a good indicator of psychological distress at work.