Alghamdi Ayedh H, Aljaffer Mohammed A, Almadani Ahmad H, Alghamdi Saleh A, Alshehri Hasan R, Alyateem Akeel A, Hashim Refan T, Alosaimi Fahad D
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Psychiatry, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jul 7;13(13):1632. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131632.
The mental health of physicians has become a pressing global concern. High rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout are reported in the literature, with each condition linked to reduced job satisfaction, increased medical errors, and ultimately suicidal ideation (SI). Although research on physicians' mental health is emerging in Saudi Arabia, data on suicidality remain scarce. This study aims to determine the prevalence of SI and its determinants among physicians in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 423 physicians across all medical specialties of all ranks, who were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. The study tool comprised three main sections. The first section included questions regarding sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, and work-related factors. The second section included items on suicidality and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to screen for depressive symptoms. The third section included the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) to measure the coping mechanisms of the participants. SI was disclosed by 9.7% of the respondents, with 0.5% reporting previous suicide attempts. Suicidal ideation was independently associated with low income (OR = 3.94, 95% CI 1.32-11.76, = 0.014) and higher depression scores (OR = 1.09 per point, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, = 0.008). Moreover, knowing a colleague with suicidal behavior (i.e., knowing a colleague who had contemplated suicide or had attempted suicide/died by suicide) was significantly associated with SI among our participants ( < 0.001 and < 0.006, respectively). Higher scores on the BRCS, specifically with respect to growing from adversity and actively replacing losses, were linked to lower odds of SI ( < 0.001 and < 0.045, respectively). Physicians in Saudi Arabia experience an alarming level of SI that is associated with low income and depression. The results of this study underscore the importance of additional research to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs designed to enhance mental health support for physicians, encourage adaptive coping mechanisms, foster peer support networks, and combat stigma associated with mental illnesses.
医生的心理健康已成为全球紧迫关注的问题。文献报道了抑郁症、焦虑症和职业倦怠的高发病率，每种情况都与工作满意度降低、医疗差错增加以及最终的自杀意念（SI）有关。尽管沙特阿拉伯对医生心理健康的研究正在兴起，但关于自杀倾向的数据仍然稀缺。本研究旨在确定沙特阿拉伯医生中自杀意念的患病率及其决定因素。采用便利抽样技术招募了423名来自各个医学专业、各个职级的医生进行了一项横断面研究。研究工具包括三个主要部分。第一部分包括有关社会人口学因素、生活方式和工作相关因素的问题。第二部分包括关于自杀倾向的项目以及用于筛查抑郁症状的患者健康问卷-9。第三部分包括简短弹性应对量表（BRCS）以测量参与者的应对机制。9.7%的受访者透露有自杀意念，0.5%报告曾有过自杀未遂。自杀意念与低收入（OR = 3.94，95%CI 1.32 - 11.76，P = 0.014）和更高的抑郁评分（每分OR = 1.09，95%CI 1.02 - 1.16，P = 0.008）独立相关。此外，了解有自杀行为的同事（即了解有过自杀念头或曾自杀未遂/自杀死亡的同事）与我们的参与者中的自杀意念显著相关（分别P < 0.001和P < 0.006）。BRCS得分较高，特别是在从逆境中成长和积极弥补损失方面，与较低的自杀意念几率相关（分别P < 0.001和P < 0.045）。沙特阿拉伯的医生经历着令人担忧的自杀意念水平，这与低收入和抑郁症有关。本研究结果强调了进一步研究的重要性，以评估旨在加强对医生心理健康支持、鼓励适应性应对机制、促进同伴支持网络以及消除与精神疾病相关耻辱感的干预项目的有效性。
