Abstract

Background and Aims: Health practitioners are facing stressful situations during COVID-19 outbreak which may affect their mental health. This study aimed to assess depression, anxiety, and insomnia among health practitioners and possible risk factors during COVID-19 outbreak in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among health practitioners in Taif governorate from April to June 2020, using online questionnaires including: the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, the 7-item Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Results: Total number of participants was 804; of them, 541 (67.4%) were males and 64.3% were Saudi. The mean age of study participants was 36.7 years (SD ±8.27). The majority were nurses (48.1%) followed by doc- tors (21.9%). Among all participants, the prevalence of ‘significant’ depression, GAD, and insomnia was 31.1%, 19.1%, and 15.6% respectively. Proportions were much higher when including those who have even mild symptoms; and they were 58%, 44.1%, and 43.7%, respectively. Female gender, being Saudi, younger age and direct contact with COVID-19 patients were the main risk factors for psychiatric disorders investigated, while having children and age ≥40 years were protecting factors. Conclusions: High rates of mental health problems among health practitioners were found which require immediate intervention to protect, support and treat those in need. Mental health research among this special group is recommended.

Keywords: Coronavirus · COVID-19 · Health personnel · Mental Health · Saudi Arabia

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Peer review

Peer reviewed by 2 reviewers, who chose to remain anonymous.

Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences · eISSN 1658-8223 · Majmaah University · open access