STRESS MANAGEMENT OF MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING THE OUTBREAK OF A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS SERIOUS DISEASE

Abstract

This research studies the stress management of medical personnel working in a government hospital in Bangkok. After the outbreak of COVID-19, stress occurred on personnel at all levels in the hospital. The sample in this research is 299 medical personnel working in different duties in the hospital. The data was collected during February-May 2023. The stress of the personnel was assessed by the SuanPrung Stress Scale of the Department of Mental Health and was found to be at a moderate level. The relationship between stress management behavior and the stress level of the sample medical personnel was tested by Pearson correlation statistics. It was found that overall, there was no relationship between stress levels and stress management, both problem-solving (p>.05) and mood-reducing (p>.05). However, it can be seen that there was a negative relationship in some areas. That is, when practice more, stress will decrease. This behavior, although it has a very low level of stress, is statistically significant (p<.05). Coping with stress is a problem-solving method, including trying to forget all problems or let go (r = -.168, p = .004). Coping with stress aimed at reducing emotions includes doing entertaining activities with others (r = -0.186, p = 0.001) and trying to stay calm and not panic and face problems (r = -0.119, p = .040).The results of this research lead to the development of guidelines for managing, reducing or eliminating stress among medical personnel who have worked during the serious epidemic.