Assessing Mental Health of Women Working as Front-Line Health Workers in Self-Help Groups in Odisha During COVID-19 Outbreak

COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental condition of the people globally and the more affected are women as compared to men. Women engaged in self-help groups also suffering from mental health disorders during COVID-19 pandemic. The current study aimed to understand how mental health has affected the SHGs women during COVID-19 and violence of women in the domestic field due to the impact of COVID-19. The current study designed a questionnaire by using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and data was collected from 218 respondents and descriptive analysis was conducted by using SPSS-20. The findings revealed that the maximum number of women in self-help groups suffered with mild anxiety and 15% suffered with severe anxiety disorder. The maximum number of women follows meditation followed by indoor games and yoga to cope up with anxiety. Hence, women working in self-help groups need to take preventive actions like yoga and other therapies to avoid anxiety and stress which help them to engage and be productive in their professional job during COVID-19 pandemic.