EFFECTS OF MENTAL EMPOWERMENT AMONG PEOPLE AFFECTED OF PANDEMIC OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) IN THE COMMUNITY AT THE SECONDARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

This action research aimed to study the model and effects of mental empowerment among people affected by the pandemic situation of COVID-19 in the community at Huatapan hospital, Amnatcharoen province. This work was focused on people who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the epidemiological report between Dec., 2020-Jun., 2021. The data were collected by using ST-5, 2Q, 8Q, 9Q, Burnout, and RQ questionnaires from the department of mental health department and analyzed by using descriptive statistics and Paired Sample T-test.

The results found that 1,045 people were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; most of them return from high risk areas, 91.3%. Some of the people affected by the pandemic situation of COVID-19 in mental health, their cause was blaming one self, blaming and gossip from the community and social media recognition that highly effect the mental health’s people. Therefore, the mental empowerment containing mental health assessment by EOC team combined with staff from secondary care hospital and village health volunteers were presenting the home visit plan 1) find major and minor reasons 2) create problem understanding, accepting and power for solving 3) mindfulness empowering for self-management 4) medication when needed 5) continuous care from the community to psychologist and 6) repeat assessment for continuous care. The comparison of before-after of received mental empowerment program was affected to increased resilience quotient were statistically significant at .05 and lower mental health problem with statistically significant such as stress, risk of depression, depression, risk of suicide and burnout.