ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Health Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1553866
Investigating the psychological impact of COVID-19 on Rob Ferreira Hospital healthcare workers in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Provisionally accepted
Tlou D. Raphela*
Happiness T.M Magagula- University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) were profound and far-reaching. This study, therefore, investigated these effects among HCWs at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, focusing on mental health measures that include stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and compassionate fatigue experienced amid the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to determine existing coping mechanisms and institutional support systems.Methodology: Using a quantitative research approach, data were collected through semistructured questionnaires and analyzed quantitatively for 100 HCWs who participated, providing a comprehensive perspective on their psychological well-being during the pandemic.showing how language and caregiving roles interact with the emotional burden of a disaster. Therefore, targeted mental health interventions should focus on providing linguistically accessible services and outreach programs. The results also highlight the critical role of staff support in influencing how individuals cope and how effective they perceive their coping methods The study found that institutional support systems were perceived as insufficient, with counseling services not being adequately utilised, contributing to increased frustration and resentment toward management. Additionally, coping mechanisms provided by the hospital, including peer support groups, were deemed ineffective by most participants. Discussion and Conclusions: The study concluded that the psychological well-being of HCWs required immediate and sustained attention. The implementation of structured mental health programs, including regular debriefing sessions, easily accessible counseling services, and stress management training, is recommended by this study. This study conclude that there is weak evidence of institutional support affecting HCWs' training and preparedness to use mental health systems during COVID-19.
Keywords: Psychological impact, Healthcare workers, COVID-19 pandemic, Mental Health, Burnout and Resilience
Received: 08 Jan 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Raphela and Magagula. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tlou D. Raphela, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.