Do Health Workers Link Poor WASH Conditions to Mental Health Symptoms?

What is it about?

This study examines how inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare settings contribute to common mental health disorders (CMDs) among health workers in central and southern Ethiopia. The findings reveal that insufficient access to clean water, functional hand hygiene facilities, environmental cleaning, and waste management at points of care areas perceived to cause occupational stress, job anxiety, and occupational depression in health workers. Health workers also perceived that poor WASH conditions lead to their burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and compassion fatigue, negatively impacting their professional quality of life. Despite recognizing the perceptual link between inadequate WASH and mental health, participants highlighted that addressing these issues requires systemic and organizational changes beyond individual efforts, indicating persistent mental distress. The findings emphasize the importance of prioritizing WASH improvements as part of mental health interventions to enhance the well-being of health workers.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Despite the significant proportion of health workers being affected by common mental health disorders, information on work-related social determinants of mental health including inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the points of care area is scarce. WASH issues are potentially among major stressors, linked not only to physical health issues but also to common mental health symptoms in health among health workers. Like other psychosocial causes of mental disorders, unresolved WASH issues can harm the mental well-being of health workers if they fail to resolve it and perceive it as a threatening event by reducing productivity, causing dissatisfaction, demotivation, and fears of infection contributing to poor mental wellbeing, such as occupational stress, job anxiety, and occupational depression. Thus, WASH-related concerns should be prioritized as intervention areas and research agendas to improve psychosomatic health through integrating mental health and WASH infrastructure.

Perspectives