Anxiety and Depression among Egyptian Working Physicians During COVID-19 Pandemic

Mohasseb, Marwa; Elsheikh, Asmaa

doi:10.21608/efmj.2022.84314.1078

Anxiety and Depression among Egyptian Working Physicians During COVID-19 Pandemic

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Marwa Mohasseb ¹
Asmaa Elsheikh ²

¹ Family medicine department, faculty of medicine, Menoufia University

² 2Community and Occupational Medicine Department, Al-Azhar University- Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/efmj.2022.84314.1078

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 has been declared as a pandemic that has compelled health systems to operate around the clock. The increased workload has developed psychiatric problems among frontline physicians. They have reached burnout due to the high stress they face, and this decreased their ability to work effectively.
Objectives: Assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression among working physicians during the pandemic, analyze their influencing factors and evaluate their effect on the physicians` work productivity.
Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out among working physicians in Egypt inquiring about the physicians` socioeconomic status, anxiety, depression, expected influencing factors, and work productivity. The questionnaire was administered to 400 physicians in contact with the disease.
Results: A total of 40% of the physicians suffered from anxiety and about 35% from depression. Lack of support at work, fear of depletion of certain drugs and PPE depletion during working in hospitals, having higher qualifications, increased workload, and being married were the most affecting factors for developing anxiety. . Lack of support at work then increased workload, fear PPE depletion, working in hospitals were the most affecting factors for developing depression. There was a significant positive correlation between the impaired work productivity, anxiety, and depression.
Conclusion: Anxiety and depression are prevalent among the physicians during COVID-19 pandemic. Socioeconomic and work-related factors significantly affect the development of these diseases which evidently affect their work productivity.

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