Department of Surgery, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2022 Feb;22(1):82-90. doi: 10.18295/squmj.4.2021.067. Epub 2022 Feb 28.
This study aimed to assess the anxiety and depression symptoms in healthcare professionals in Pakistan as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
This cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2020 and included six different hospitals in Pakistan. An English-language demographics questionnaire, a validated COVID-19 fear scale, depression scale PHQ-9 and anxiety scale GAD-7 were sent to doctors, nurses and paramedical staff via WhatsApp. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and Student's t-test.
A total of 400 participants were included in this study (response rate: 80.0%); 263 (65.8%) were doctors and 137 (34.3%) were nurses and paramedical staff. Of the participants, 57.0% were less than 40 years old and 18.3% were aged above 50. Most of the participants (n = 262; 65.5 %) experienced moderate levels of fear and 16.5% (n = 66) experienced a high level of fear. Moreover, 19.5% feared death and 56.5% reported social media to be responsible for increasing their fears. On the depression PHQ-9 and anxiety GAD-7 scales, 21.8% (n = 87) reported moderate to severe depression and anxiety symptoms. A significant relationship was demonstrated between the depression level and age, education and profession ( <0.001 each). Similarly, anxiety and depression scores were strongly related to the availability of personal protective equipment ( <0.001).
It was found that 21.8% of healthcare professionals are suffering from moderate to severe depression symptoms, 15.5% had moderate to severe anxiety, whereas 65.5% had moderate symptoms of fear. The predictors are age, education level and co-morbidities. These moderate to high levels of fear and anxiety and depression raise concerns about the psychological well-being of healthcare staff and should be addressed through different programmes.
本研究旨在评估冠状病毒大流行期间巴基斯坦医护人员的焦虑和抑郁症状。
本横断面研究于 2020 年 5 月至 6 月进行，纳入了巴基斯坦的六家不同医院。通过 WhatsApp 向医生、护士和辅助医务人员发送了一份英文人口统计学问卷、经过验证的 COVID-19 恐惧量表、PHQ-9 抑郁量表和 GAD-7 焦虑量表。使用描述性统计、卡方检验和学生 t 检验分析数据。
本研究共纳入 400 名参与者（应答率：80.0%）；263 名（65.8%）为医生，137 名（34.3%）为护士和辅助医务人员。参与者中，57.0%年龄小于 40 岁，18.3%年龄大于 50 岁。大多数参与者（n=262；65.5%）经历了中度恐惧，16.5%（n=66）经历了高度恐惧。此外，19.5%担心死亡，56.5%认为社交媒体增加了他们的恐惧。在 PHQ-9 抑郁量表和 GAD-7 焦虑量表上，21.8%（n=87）报告了中度至重度抑郁和焦虑症状。抑郁水平与年龄、教育程度和职业之间存在显著关系（均<0.001）。同样，焦虑和抑郁评分与个人防护设备的可用性密切相关（均<0.001）。
研究发现，21.8%的医护人员患有中度至重度抑郁症状，15.5%有中度至重度焦虑，65.5%有中度恐惧症状。预测因素是年龄、教育程度和共病。这些中度至高度的恐惧、焦虑和抑郁，引发了人们对医护人员心理健康的担忧，应通过不同的方案加以解决。
