Background: COVID-19 disease is one of the most destructive events that humanity has witnessed in the 21st century. It has impacted all aspects of life and all segments of populations, including already vulnerable health care providers. Aims: This study sought to detect the prevalence of mental health issues in sample of physicians and nurses working in several health facilities in Oman. Method: We gauged the mental health conditions of 509 physicians (38.1%) and nurses (61.9 %) using the Perceived Stress Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and World Health Organization Well-Being Index. Results: The study revealed a high prevalence of stress, anxiety and poor psychological well-being, especially among females, young health care workers and those who interacted with known or suspected COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study support the handful of studies published during this global health crisis that have found that the mental health of health care workers has been harshly affected and predicted that it will continue, to various degrees, to be affected in the foreseeable future. The results of this study highlight the urgency of providing administrative and psychological support as well as current and accurate information on COVID-19 to health care workers.

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Data about the stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Saudi Arabia are scarce. Recent statistics from Saudi Ministry of Health showed that 77% of HIV-positive Saudis were males. The present study analyzed data from 162 Saudi male college students. The findings suggest that students who knew less about HIV/AIDS were more likely to stigmatize persons living with HIV/AIDS than those who knew more. Neither degree of religiosity nor worry about HIV infection was related to AIDS stigma. However, AIDS-related shame was the best predictor of AIDS stigma. The findings of this study point to important suggestions for AIDS prevention programs in Saudi Arabia.

A review of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) literature revealed that not a single published study has examined the factors that influence patients' adherence to HIV medications in the Arab world. To mend this gap, this qualitative study collected data via face-to-face interviews with 27 HIV-positive Egyptian women who had been on ART for at least three months. Using a thematic analysis technique, five themes were identified: fear of stigma, financial constraints, characteristics of ART, social support, and reliance on faith. Notwithstanding the overwhelming number of inhibiting factors, most patients in this study were highly motivated to achieve perfect adherence.

AIDS stigma is a challenge to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic especially in more conservative cultures. This study explored the impact of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, and the impact of shame, on the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Arab world. Survey data were collected from 277 female college students in 3 Arab countries: Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. Only in Bahrain was knowledge about HIV and AIDS inversely related to negative attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS. AIDS-related shame, however, was a strong predictor of AIDS stigma in all 3 countries. HIV education is needed for young people in Arab countries, especially women, both for their own health and to reduce the problem of AIDS stigma. Rôle de la honte dans la stigmatisation des personnes atteintes du virus de l'immunodéficience humaine : étude réalisée sur des lycéennes dans trois pays arabes RÉSUMÉ La stigmatisation du sida constitue un obstacle en matière de lutte contre l'épidémie de VIH/sida, en particulier au sein des cultures conservatrices. Cette étude portait sur les conséquences du niveau de connaissance sur le VIH et le sida et de la honte suscitée par la maladie, sur la stigmatisation des personnes vivant avec le VIH/ sida dans le monde arabe. Les données de cette étude ont été recueillies auprès de 277 étudiantes dans trois pays arabes : Bahreïn, la Jordanie et le Koweït. Bahreïn s'est révélé le seul pays où le niveau de connaissance sur le VIH/sida est inversement proportionnel aux attitudes négatives à l'égard des personnes vivant avec le virus. La honte associée au sida constitue toutefois un facteur prédictif important de la stigmatisation de la maladie dans les trois pays. L'éducation en matière de VIH est nécessaire auprès des jeunes des pays arabes, notamment des femmes, tant pour préserver leur propre santé que pour réduire le problème de la stigmatisation du sida.‫املتوسط‬ ‫لرشق‬ ‫الصحية‬ ‫املجلة‬ ‫عرش‬ ‫السادس‬ ‫املجلد‬ ‫التاسع‬ ‫العدد‬ 983

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Objectives The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2) pandemic is wreaking havoc on health care systems and causing serious economic, social, and psychological anguish around the globe. Health care workers who diagnose and care for COVID-19 patients have been shown to suffer burnout, stress and anxiety. Methods In this study, we collected data from 150 frontline health care workers who had close contact with COVID-19 patients at several health facilities in the Sultanate of Oman. The participants completed an online survey that included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Results The study found that a substantial number of health care professionals experienced relatively high levels of stress and anxiety, as well as suboptimal levels of well-being. Perceived stress and anxiety were significant predictors of health care workers’ well-being. Conclusions. This study adds to the increasing literature indicating harmful effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of health care workers.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among health care workers (HCWs) is widely reported. Here we report on the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy and the factors associated with it in a sample of non-vaccinated HCWs. Data from 433 not vaccinated medical and non-medical HCWs from various health care facilities after the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination in Oman were analyzed. Most of the participants were nurses (41.5%) followed by physicians (37.5%) and non-medical HCWs (21%). Forty percent of HCWs were willing to uptake the COVID-19 vaccines. Physicians and male HCWs had more positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccines than nurses and female HCWs. Concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines including unknown health issues, efficacy and safety were stated by the participants. Our results show a low level of willingness to uptake the COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs, an issue that must be urgently addressed.