Anxiety and depression among vaccinated anesthesia and intensive care doctors during COVID-19 pandemic in United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study

Anxiety and depression in healthcare workers 2 years after COVID-19 infection and scale validation

This study aims to assess the levels of anxiety and depression among healthcare workers two years post COVID-19 infection and to validate the reliability and validity of the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales in this population. This cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2024 using a simple random sampling approach to survey healthcare institution workers. A total of 1038 valid samples were collected, and anxiety and depression levels were assessed using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. Participants included healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, administrative staff, and students. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, univariate, and multivariate analyses to explore the effects of variables such as occupation and gender on anxiety and depression. Long COVID was reported in 50.8% of participants. Occupational categories significantly influenced anxiety and depression levels: compared to students (reference group), doctors, nurses, and administrative staff exhibited significantly lower scores. Non-long COVID participants showed significantly lower anxiety and depression scores than those with long COVID. Additionally, the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales demonstrated high reliability and validity among COVID-19 population. Two years after COVID-19 infection, anxiety and depression levels among healthcare institution workers remain significantly influenced by occupational category and long COVID status. For healthcare workers, particularly those with long COVID and student groups, policymakers and healthcare administrators should consider optimizing mental health support systems. This includes implementing regular mental health screenings, providing personalized psychological interventions, offering counseling services, reducing work-related stress, and promoting the use of mental health assessment tools to improve the psychological well-being of this population.

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress along with Coping Strategy and Work-related Sense of Coherence in Anesthesia Care Providers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study

Background:

Numerous studies have reported the prevalence of psychological issues in anesthesia professionals during stressful situations like the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there are limited data exploring the coping strategies and work satisfaction in this workforce during the pandemic.

Methodology:

In this observational cross-sectional study, three validated questionnaires, namely, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21, the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory, and the Work-related Sense of Coherence (Work-SoC) scale, were handed out to 150 anesthesia health-care providers (doctors and allied health staff [AHS]). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress; Work-SoC conditions; and coping strategies were compared between groups of participants based on age (<30 years vs. ≥30 years), gender (males vs. females), and occupation (doctors vs. AHS).

Results:

Participants aged <30 years reported more depression (P = 0.0134) and stress (P = 0.0453) compared to participants aged ≥30 years. Younger participants used emotion-focused and avoidant coping styles, whereas older participants used coping styles that were emotion focused and problem focused. Similarly, a problem-focused coping style was observed frequently among both doctors and AHS. Work-SoC assessment showed that younger participants (P = 0.0088) and more AHS respondents (P = 0.000) attributed poor meaningfulness, but doctors reported poor comprehensibility (P = 0.058) to their working conditions.

Conclusion:

Younger professionals were more susceptible to stress and depression during the pandemic. Similar to AHS, they perceived work conditions as unrewarding and less meaningful. Doctors perceived working conditions as unmanageable, unpredictable, and unstructured. There were age-related differences in coping strategies where older adults engaged in more proactive coping.

Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV2 Mediated Depression, Therapeutics, and Consequences: A Comprehensive Narrative

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), belongs to emerging and reemerging diseases, which was first identified and reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was similar to the SARS virus, a β-coronavirus. The epidemiological studies suggest that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 mainly occurs from an infected person to others through close contact with the respiratory droplets or by having contact with SARS-CoV-2 adhering to objects and surfaces. The incubation period ranges from 5 to14 days. The symptoms include fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches, chest pain, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, headache, difficulty in breathing or short breath, loss of taste, smell, rashes on the skin, and sore throat. Some reports indicated that males exhibited lower scores than females, the younger populations displayed increased symptoms, Chinese/Taiwanese people registered only scarce symptoms, and Canadians experienced more symptoms. The results of several studies suggested that while COVID-19 had a significant effect on depression, job instability affected anxiety and depression. The diagnostics to detect the presence of coronavirus involve ELISA and RT-PCR. There is no specific treatment available to eradicate COVID-19. The therapeutics used to treat COVID 19 exhibited severe side effects. Recently, some Indian traditional medicinal plants have shown promise in reducing the risk of viral infection and also boosting the immunity of an individual. This paper presents an overview of the current status of depression in the SARS CoV2 infected people and the measures required to overcome COVID-19 induced depression in patients even after recovery.

Comparison of General Anxiety among Healthcare Professionals before and after COVID-19 Vaccination

Vaccination plays a crucial role in controlling the rate of coronavirus transmission and infectivity. Healthcare professionals are, in fact, at the greatest risk of contracting coronavirus due to their proximity and prolonged exposure to infected patients; this certitude alone enhances the stress and anxiety among patients and professionals alike. In this study, we aimed to assess the levels of anxiety experienced by healthcare professionals in their practices before and after getting vaccinated. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2021. An electronic survey was distributed among the non-vaccinated and vaccinated healthcare workers. The survey consisted of the following parts: demographic characteristics, coronavirus-related questions, questions related to the specific field of healthcare professions, general anxiety questions, and working-hour-related questions. The Modified General Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) was used along with the paired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearmen's test for comparison. p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 798 healthcare professionals participated in the study. In this study, the majority of participants were females, with 598 (74.9%) being between the ages of 21 and 30, and 646 (80.9%) participants were graduates, with the majority being dentists. Non-vaccinated healthcare professionals had severe anxiety (30.9%), whereas, in vaccinated participants, anxiety levels were minimal (56.9%). A statistically significant correlation was discovered when comparing the scores of the vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals as well as when comparing the professions of vaccinated participants, whereas no association was found with the gender and education level of participants. Vaccination is necessary for all entitled individuals to control the spread of coronavirus. It was discovered that there was an increase in anxiety levels before the vaccination was introduced. The anxiousness was greatly lessened following mass immunizations. Our research will help to raise public awareness of stigmatized mental health disorders in the healthcare industry.

The effect of COVID-19 vaccination on the menstrual pattern and mental health of the medical students: A mixed-methods study from a low and middle-income country

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual patterns and mental health of medical students and to explore the students' perspective regarding this effect.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This mixed-method study was conducted on the medical and dental students of the private and public sector institutions of Peshawar from September 2021 to March 2022. A Menstrual symptom questionnaire (MSQ) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were used. This was followed by qualitative interviews with the students who faced problems in their menstruation after the COVID-19 vaccination.

RESULTS

A total of 953 students were included, with a mean age of 20.67±1. 56 years. More than half (n = 512, 53.7%) experienced menstrual cycle abnormalities post-vaccination. The majority having disturbances in their menstrual cycle had significantly higher levels of anxiety (p = 0.000). Results on the menstrual symptom questionnaire, anxiety, and depression subtype of HADS showed a negative and statistically significant relationship with changes after COVID-19 vaccination (p<0.05). In the qualitative interviews, 10 (58.8%) students each had problems with frequency and flow, followed by 7 (41.2%) students, who had dysmenorrhea. Seven (41.2%) consulted a gynecologist for management. The majority (n = 14, 82.4%) stated that these issues had an adverse impact on their mental health and almost half (n = 8, 47.1%) suggested consulting a gynecologist while facing such situations.

CONCLUSION

This study showed the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine on women`s menstrual patterns and subsequent mental health status. Although the majority of the students experienced menstrual cycle abnormalities and subsequent mental health adversities post COVID-19 vaccination but these were temporary and self-limiting and were attributed to the psychological impact of the vaccination. Therefore, it is imperative to alert health care professionals about possible side effects and prior counseling is expected to play an important role in this context.