Financial Strain Among Nurses and Midwives in Northern and Southern Ghana: A Cross-sectional Survey
Maxwell Oduro Yeboah
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Emmanuel Ataridena Anafo
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Lexington Amo Maclauglin
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
John Kwame Agbenyeavu
*
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Rosemond Agyeiwaa
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Thomas Nfi
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Konlan Patience
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Ibrahim Iddrisu
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Fiagbe Loveland
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
Raphael Kumah Abolasom
Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana, Cantonment, Accra, Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: To describe financial strain, coping practices and perceived employment-related consequences among nursing and midwifery respondents in Northern and Southern Ghana.
Study Design: Cross-sectional online survey.
Place and Duration: Ghana, January–March 2026.
Methodology: Responses were collected through a voluntary, non-probability survey circulated on professional union social-media platforms. The updated dataset comprised 1,406 submissions, including 548 from Northern Ghana and 858 from Southern Ghana. Financial circumstances and perceived occupational consequences were summarised descriptively; the reported analyses also included regional comparisons and exploratory adjusted models.
Results: Salary was regarded as insufficient by 1,331 respondents (94.7%), while 1,171 (83.3%) reported financial difficulties always or frequently. Loans had been taken by 1,204 (85.6%), and 1,201 (85.4%) reported no supplementary income. Family responsibilities (80.0%) and housing expenditure (74.4%) were commonly reported burdens. Employer financial support was absent according to 1,360 respondents (96.7%). Negative or very negative perceived effects on job satisfaction were reported by 1,044 (74.3%). Overall, 895 respondents (63.7%) had considered leaving the profession. In exploratory adjusted models, frequent financial difficulty was associated with considering leaving (adjusted odds ratio 2.23; 95% confidence interval 1.52–3.27) and reporting effects on work (2.10; 1.48–2.98). The frequency of financial difficulty was similar across zones.
Conclusion: Financial strain and borrowing were commonly reported among respondents, alongside perceived occupational consequences. The non-probability design and cross-sectional self-reports limit population generalisation and causal interpretation.
Keywords: Financial strain, nurses, midwives, Ghana, job satisfaction, workforce retention