‘STUDENT LADY HEALTH VISITORS’: THEIR STRESS PROFILE AND WILLINGNESS TO PRACTICE

Authors

  • Saad Siddiqui
  • Noreen Shah
  • Romana Ayub
  • Naseer Khan

Abstract

Background: Lack of Reproductive health facilities including high maternal and neonatal mortality is amajor problem of our region. Skilled healthcare providers like Lady Health Visitors can play asignificant role in improving parameters of reproductive healthcare. The objectives of this study were toassess stress profiles in student lady health visitors and their willingness to practice in future. Methods:Cross sectional survey conducted at two public health schools in District Peshawar with student LadyHealth Visitors as study participants. Results: Majority (64.4%) of respondents were satisfied with theirchoice of career, 78% thought they had adequate knowledge to practice independently, 47.7% thoughtthat their life in this profession will be stressful. Most of them were facing financial difficulties duringtheir course, 84.8% enjoyed support of their family in choice of career, 50–82% reportedpsychosomatic problems arising as result of stress in their lives. Conclusion: Most of the respondentswere happy with their choice of profession and were willing to practice in future. High prevalence ofstress in lives of respondents warrants counselling services by institutions.Keywords: Lady Health Visitors, Stress, Health professionals, Public health, Women, Cultural restrains

References

Demography. URL: http://www.khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk/

Departments/ Population Welfare/Demography-ofNWFP.php.

Health Statistics. Available from:

http://www.healthnwfp.gov.pk/ healthstatistics.asp.

Majumdar B, Amarsi Y, Carpio B. Pakistan’s community

health workers. Can Nurse 1997;93(5):32–4.

Jafarey SN. Health Services and Health care utilisation. In:

Ilyas M, (Ed). Public Health and Community Medicine. 7th

ed. Karachi: Time Publisher; 2006. p. 373–5.

Schmidt RL. Women and healthcare in rural Pakistan. Soc

Sci Med 1983;17(7):419–20.

Rosenfield A. The history of the Safe Motherhood Initiative:

Introductory remarks. Int J Gynecol Obstet 1997;59:7–9.

Rafiq M, Rafiq AJ, Khanani R, Shah SA, Mohammad S, Ali

S, (Eds). Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), Traditional Birth

Attendants (TBAs), Medical Social Workers (MSWs) and

Health Technicians (HTs) in HIV/AIDS prevention in a

resource limited community; 2000.

Hezekiah J. The pioneers of rural Pakistan: the Lady Health

Visitors. Health Care Women Int 1993;14(6):493–502.

Definition of stress from oxford dictionaries online.

Available from:

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/stress?rskey=

YlAAAx&result=1#m_en_gb0820400 .

Husain N, Creed F, Tomenson B. Depression and social

stress in Pakistan. Psychol Med 2000;30(2):395–402.

Matthew RA. Environmental stress and human security in

Northern Pakistan. Environmental Change and Security

Project Report 2001;7:17–31.

Jamal M. Job stress and employee well-being: a crosscultural empirical study. Stress Medicine 1999;15(3):153–8.

Jamal M, Baba VV. Job stress and burnout among Canadian

managers and nurses: an empirical examination. Can J Public

Health 2000;91(6):454.

Nasrabadi AN, Lipson JG, Emami A. Professional nursing in

Iran: an overview of its historical and sociocultural

framework. J Prof Nurs 2004;20(6):396–402.

Abdulghani HM. Stress and depression among medical

students: A cross sectional study at a medical college in

Saudi Arabia. Pak J Med Sci 2008;24(1):12–7.

Mumtaz Y, Jahangeer A, Habib A, Adnan S, Mumtaz Z.

Stress in postgraduate trainee doctors of public and private

universities of Karachi. Pak J Med Sci 26(2):420–5.

Niaz U, Hassan S, Ali S. Stress in women physicians in

Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci 2003;19(2):89–94.

Education. URL: http://www.khyberpakhtunkhwa.gov.pk/

aboutus/Education.php.

Gadit AAM, Mugford G. A pilot study of bullying and

harassment among medical professionals in Pakistan,

focussing on psychiatry: need for a medical ombudsman. J

Med Ethics 2008;34(6):463.

Khuwaja AK, Qureshi R, Andrades M, Fatmi Z, Khuwaja

NK. Comparison of job satisfaction and stress among male

and female doctors in teaching hospitals of Karachi. J Ayub

Med Coll Abbottabad 2004;16(1):23.

Published

2012-12-01

Most read articles by the same author(s)