HARDINESS AND SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS AMONG SPEECH LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST/THERAPIST DURING CLINICAL PRACTICE IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

Background: Covid-19 puts stress in health care professionals and public. This disease spreading all over the world very quickly and from person to person number of patients increasing day by day and thousands of deaths

Objective: To determine the level of hardiness and Secondary traumatic stress in speech language pathologist/ therapist during clinical practice in covid-19 pandemic. To analyze the hardiness and secondary traumatic stress in speech pathologists /therapist of different age group and gender.

Methodology: It was an Observational cross-sectional survey and purposive sampling technique was used. Data was conducted from University of Lahore Hospital, and from online survey. Duration of study was from January 2021 to December 2021. 302 participants completed the survey and fill the three questionnaire forms. The survey questionnaire included occupational hardiness questionnaire, pandemic related perceived stress scale of covid-19 and demographic sheet. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 22.

Results: Results showed that 161 (53.3%) participants were on average level of global scores on OHQ while 82 (27.2) participants perceived almost always stress on Covid-19 Perceived Stress Scale. Females score more on hardiness within the age range of 25-35 and moderate level of perceived stress.

Conclusion: There is a significant relationship of Occupational Hardiness with Perceived Stress Scale of Covid-19. There is a significant relationship of Occupational Hardiness, Perceived stress scale of Covid-19 with age and gender.

Keywords: Hardiness, and secondary traumatic stress, speech pathologist/therapist and COVID-19.