Prevalence and factors associated with depression among health care workers in the region of Sousse in Tunisia

Abstract

Introduction Mental health disorder is common among working population worldwide and among health care-workers (HCWs) in particular. Depression is a major public health problem, with an economic impact because of lost days of work. Its prevention is essential and requires the identification of risk factors. Objectives The objectives of this work were to determine the epidemiological characteristics of depressive disorders in health care workers and identify their main risk factors. Methods A descriptive retrospective study was conducted on health care workers of Sousse in Tunisia who have had a long-term sick leave for depressive disorders from January 2010 to December 2021. data was collected from the medical records of the patients and completed with a telephone questionnaire Results The total number of cases was 650 with a prevalence of 12.8% and an incidence of 2 cases per 100 HCW. The median age was 50 years and the female workers represented 81% of cases. The majority of the sample were married (81%). Most of cases were nurses (43%) and health technician (19%). The median seniority of HCW in their jobs was 23 years with the first quartile at 12 and the third quartile at 31. Around 48% of cases had severe depression. The severity of depression was significantly associated with working in surgical and emergency services, number of night shifts of 2 or more per week, the history of a psychiatric disorder other than depression, habits such as smoking and drinking, anxiety specificity and melancholy specificity of depression. Conclusions This study showed the importance of social and occupational factors of depression among HCW. Action policies focusing on workplace interventions appear to be relevant. Disclosure of Interest None Declared