Frontiers in Psychiatry (Mar 2023)

The psychological impact of COVID-19 on healthcare work force in the Middle East region C-S study

  • Marwa Ahmed El-Gammal,
  • Amira Elgendy,
  • Petra Heidler,
  • Petra Heidler,
  • Tarek A. Owais,
  • Nael Kamel Eltewacy,
  • Nael Kamel Eltewacy,
  • Nouran Hamza,
  • Nouran Hamza,
  • the EARG group,
  • Mohammed Amir Rais,
  • Reman Ashraf,
  • Entesar kamal abdou,
  • Ereen Sobhy Kiddees,
  • Arwa Abdelrazek Abdellah,
  • Mostafa S. M. Abd El-Maksoud,
  • Aseel MitwallyAwad,
  • Ahmad Hanani,
  • Duha Yousef Suboh,
  • Samaa Elkhader,
  • Salsabeel Hanayshe,
  • Gharam Kiswani,
  • Hanen Ben Ammar,
  • Ghada Hamdi,
  • Lina Brahmi l,
  • Malek mohamed Ayadi,
  • Bayan Zitani,
  • Nour Karkar,
  • Tasneem othman,
  • Tasnim Assalyeh,
  • Batoul Al Sari,
  • Baraa Altweel,
  • Raga A. Elzahaf,
  • Moufiq abdulrasoul Hasan,
  • Almajdoub Ali Mohammed,
  • Wisam A Hasan,
  • Hajar Alkokhiya aldare,
  • Ayoub Akwaisah,
  • Ali Ahmed Awas,
  • Dares Fateh Mohammed,
  • Hareth Al-duais,
  • Kholood Ahmed Al-subari,
  • Badr Alhalool,
  • Ahmed Abdelrahim Musbah,
  • Elhusseini Abdelrahim Musbah,
  • Hassan Salih Eisa,
  • Khider Altayeb Bakheet,
  • Mohammed Al Monje Amir,
  • Ali Riyadh abdulabbas,
  • Jaafar D. Al-Dabagh,
  • Karrar H. Alnajjar,
  • Mareb Hameed Ahmed,
  • Daniah Adil Tawfeeq,
  • Wahid Aloweiwi,
  • Zaid Alkayed,
  • Abdullah Sughayer,
  • Aya Thaer Albaddawe,
  • Lina A. Abu-Sirhan,
  • Hind AbdAlla Hamad,
  • Omnia Omer Ibrahim,
  • Asmaa abdulmonem Ahmed

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1112501
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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IntroductionCOVID-19, is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century (1). The pandemic outbreak as affected all human activities, starting with healthcare and medical service passing with economy and social relationships, as well as political, religious and cultural enactments (2). The healthcare workers were the most affected fighting in the frontline working longer hours under a high risk of being infected (3). This study aims to assess the depression, anxiety and stress levels of the healthcare workforce (physicians, nurses, pharmacists and dentists) in the Middle East and North Africa—MENA–region.MethodsWe invited healthcare workers in the Middle East to participate in our cross-sectional survey by answering to the DASS-21 questionnaire.ResultsA total of 4,845 healthcare workers participated in the study. The participants were from 11 countries as follows: 436 from Egypt, 430 from Algeria, 458 from Iraq, 453 from Jordan, 473 from Libya, 428 from Palestine, 419 from Saudi Arabia, 452 from Sudan, 451 from Syria, 424 from Tunisia, and 421 from Yemen. The doctors among the healthcare workers were 51.7%, 19.0% were from the nursing staff, 16.8% were pharmacists, and 12.5% were from dentists. The depression level among the healthcare workers was as follows: 29.1% were normal, 13.7% were mildly depressed, 26.9% were moderately depressed, 14.4% were suffering from severe depression, and the depression state was extremely severe for the last 15.9%. At the same time, 29.1% were suffering from no anxiety, while 6.9% were at a mild level, 22.3% were at a moderate level, 13.4% were at a severe level, and 28.3% were at an extremely severe level. For the stress levels, 38.6% were normal, 14.9% were suffering from mild stress, 20.3% were moderate, 17.4% were severe, and the stress level was extremely severe for the other 8.9%.DiscussionThis study indicates that in the Middle East and North Africa—MENA—region, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the healthcare workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic was 70.9, 70.9, 61.4, respectively.

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