Submitted by Administrator on Thu, 07/05/2020 - 15:11
The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund COVID-19 Emergency Awards has recently awarded funds for the new research project: 'Covid 19 and Psychological Wellbeing of Frontline Workers in Ghana'.
This research project will be co-led by Dr Justice Tankebe, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge and Dr Samuel Adjorlolo, Department of Mental Health, University of Ghana.
Since its outbreak in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic. As of 4 May 2020, 3.5 million confirmed cases were reported globally with 247,752 deaths. Throughout this time, governments have continued to take various measures to control the spread of the virus. These measures include physical distancing and lock down (‘stay home orders’) both aimed at limiting contacts with potential carriers of the virus. For health workers and police officers, being in daily contacts with patients and the general public means potentially heightened anxiety.
This research aims to explore the psychological wellbeing of these professionals in Ghana. It would involve repeated surveys and in-depth interviews over 12 months to track changes in wellbeing and coping strategies. The study promises crucial data on the effects of responding to COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, on front-line response groups, providing evidence for early interventions to improve the wellbeing of these groups.