Frequency of Anxiety Among Physicians Working in Emergency Departments and Other Clinics in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Objective: Physicians are exposed to various emotional and physical stressors in their working environment. Emergency departments are particularly stressful working environments. This study aimed to determine the frequency of anxiety among emergency physicians (EP) and other medical specialists. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included voluntarily participated physicians working in hospitals in Turkey. Physicians were grouped based on their Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores and their characteristics were compared. The frequency of anxiety and other characteristics of the physicians were investigated. Results: A total of 508 medical specialists (male 71.9%; mean age 37.5±7.2 years) included in the analysis, 97 (19,1%) were EP and 411 (80.9%) were from other medical specialties. The mean Beck Anxiety Inventory Score of the specialists from other clinics was 9.6±7.7 points. The frequencies of moderate, and severe anxiety among medical specialists were 13.8%, and 2.8%, respectively. The overall frequency of moderate-severe anxiety was 16.5%; which was higher in emergency physicians than in other clinical specialists (33% and 12.7%, respectively). The mean Beck Anxiety Inventory scores of EP and other medical specialists were found as 13±9.3 and 8.7±7.0, respectively (p<0.001). Anxiety score showed a negative correlation with age and duration of working as a specialist.Among emergency physicians, the rates of smoking (p=0.008), alcohol consumption (p=0.003) and anxiety scores were higher and the duration of working as a specialist was shorter (p<0.001). Conclusions: Frequency of anxiety is higher among physicians. Considering medical specialties, higher level of anxiety determined in the emergency physicians might be a guide for investigation of working conditions in this field and for development of protective and preventive policies.

Evaluation of the effect of COVID‐19 pandemic on anxiety severity of physicians working in the internal medicine department of a tertiary care hospital: a cross‐sectional survey

“…Similarly, anxiety levels of female physicians were reported to be higher than male physicians 18,19 . In a cross‐sectional survey, female physicians had higher anxiety levels than males and have also been reported to be exposed to certain stress factors related to discrimination, lack of role models and support, role stress and overload 20 …”

“…18,19 In a crosssectional survey, female physicians had higher anxiety levels than males and have also been reported to be exposed to certain stress factors related to discrimination, lack of role models and support, role stress and overload. 20 Biological factors, such as the variation in ovarian hormone levels, may contribute to the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in women. 21 In our study, female physicians reported more severe symptoms of anxiety in all measurements, consistent with the results of previous studies.…”

“…The total score of GAD-7 ranges from 0 to 21, with increasing scores indicating more severe functional impairments as a result of anxiety. The total scores of these measurement tools are interpreted as follows: GAD-7 level indicates minimal (score 0-4), mild (score 5-9), moderate (score [10][11][12][13][14] or severe anxiety (score [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. A score of 10 or greater in the original GAD-7 represents a reasonable cut-off point for identifying cases of general anxiety disorder.…”

“…The median (IQR) scores on the GAD-7 and the BAI for all internists were 4 5 and 6 (9.5) respectively. For the GAD-7 anxiety subscales, half of the internists, 57 (50.4%), had scores within the minimal level, while 35 (31%) internists were considered to suffer from mild anxiety (score: 5-9); 12 (10.6%) were considered to suffer from moderate anxiety (score: 10-14); and 9 (8%) were considered to suffer from severe anxiety (score: [15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Based on the Turkish version of GAD-7 scale most of the internists, 88 (77.9%), have normal scores, under the 'GAD-7 cut-off score 8', and did not require further assessment, whereas 25 (22.1%) internists scored ≥8 indicating the need for further assessment and/or referral to a mental health professional.…”

Comparison of Work-Related Stress between Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine Doctors: A Single Center Cross-Sectional Study

“…Exposure to stress factors in the workplace has been associated with a number of adverse physical and mental health problems 4 . Chronic job stress in emergency health care workers is associated with occupational dissatisfaction, physical fatigue, burnout and posttraumatic stress symptoms 5 - 8 .…”