Anxiety and Depression, and the Coping Strategies Among Close Relatives of Patients in Critical Care Units at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Introduction Family members play a major role in patients’ health. More than 50% of incapacitated people partly depend on family caregivers for support and informal care. When a family member is admitted to the critical care unit, it causes significant strain to the family. Of all relatives with patients admitted in a hospital, those with patients admitted to a critical care unit have been shown to suffer most. The hospitalization period has been noted to be a traumatic event as it can potentially bring about mental stress that could interfere with the psychological wellbeing among family members. Depression and Anxiety have been documented as the most common psychological symptoms that manifest in relatives of critically ill patients. It is also noted that healthcare professionals have for a long time failed to anticipate the needs of relatives with patients in ICU who are usually affected differently depending on how their needs were met by healthcare professionals. Study Objective This study aimed to find out anxiety and depression levels among relatives with patients admitted to ICU at Kenyatta National Hospital. The study also aimed to find out the coping mechanisms used by family members during the time they had a loved one being treated in the ICU. Study Design The study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) and the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Scale (F-COPES) were used to collect data from consenting adults who met the inclusion criteria. The study used a census sampling method as the population to be studied was small. The study was conducted for a period of two months, and all relatives who were eligible for the study were included. A sample size of 239 was achieved. Data Analysis SPSS version 23 was used to analyze data using univariate, bivariate and multivariate tests. Descriptive statistics including frequency count, mean, standard deviation and percentage were used to describe the sample characteristics, level of anxiety and depression and the coping strategies used. One-way ANOVA and t-test were used to test the differences amongst the different groups. The data was then presented in form of narratives, charts, tables and diagrams. The study found that male(50.2%) and female(49.8%) participants were essentially equal. Majority of the respondents were between 30-49 years, married (86.2%) and had tertiary level of education (83.7%). 91% of the participants suffered some form of anxiety while 55% had depression. Seeking spiritual support was the predominantly used coping mechanism among the participants. The results of this study show that relatives of patients admitted to ICU suffer significant levels of anxiety and depression and there is need for them to be offered specialized psychological care at the time their loved ones are in ICU and beyond. Information from this study will help influence policy on how best KNH should plan to cater for the mental wellbeing of relatives who have loved ones admitted to ICU