The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: A Year Later Into the Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to healthcare workers worldwide. This study sought to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia, and to identify the factors associated with these psychological disorders.Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted from January 21 to March 2, 2021. Physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other healthcare workers from different parts of Saudi Arabia were recruited through snowball sampling. Psychological outcomes were measured using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Pearson's chi-square test was used to explore the bivariate association between diverse characteristics and each outcome. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress.Results: A total of 501 healthcare workers completed the survey, of whom 60% were female and nearly half were pharmacists. The majority (76.25%) of respondents reported that a family member, friend, or colleague had contracted COVID-19, and more than one-third (36%) knew someone who died due to COVID-19. Overall, the estimated prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress were 54.69, 60.88, and 41.92%, respectively. The multivariate analysis revealed that healthcare workers with chronic diseases, nurses, and healthcare workers from the southern region were more likely to suffer from depression and stress. Further, individuals with positive COVID-19 test results showed a greater proportion of depressive symptoms compared to others. In addition, knowing someone who died due to COVID-19 and having a chronic illness were predisposing factors for anxiety.Conclusion: After more than a year, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress remains substantial among healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. The findings can help guide efforts to mitigate the psychological impact of the pandemic.

Knowledge, practice and psychological symptoms among medical laboratory staff during COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: An online based survey

“… 30 Our study showed 16.94% of MLS have anxiety during the pandemic, which is similar to the findings of Chew et al who reported 15.7% anxiety among HCWs in a multinational study and, very much lower than the study by Giusti et al and Almalki et al that reported anxiety in 71.2% and 60.88% of health professionals, respectively. 16 , 31 , 32 The finding of this study is also in accordance to the study by Chen et al that records 18.1% anxiety among paediatric medical staff members. 33 This study also accounts for 25.91% of depressive symptoms among MLS, similar to a study carried out in China.…”

“… 13 Studies suggested that HCWs had the psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 14 – 16 The literature on the health consequences of HCWs providing care to COVID-19 patients is increasing. However, the limited study is available on knowledge, practice and physiological impact of COVID-19 among MLSs.…”

Psychological and financial impacts of COVID-19-related travel measures: An international cross-sectional study

“…In line with results from our previous study and that of other research during COVID-19, women and those with chronic illness were found to be significantly associated with higher severity of DAS (21, 39, 40). These results are consistent with evidence showing women and those with chronic illness to be more vulnerable to psychological problems than males and those without chronic illness (21, 41).…”

Psychological distress reported by healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…This study was one of the first in the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) region to conduct a cross-sectional survey on the prevalence and severity of psychological distress among HCWs in KSA during the COVID-19 pandemic. While several other studies have explored the psychological impact of COVID-19 on HCWs and the general public using different scales in KSA [ 39 – 41 ], our study looked at psychological distress in HCWs at the national level [ 39 , 42 ], included a larger sample taken from six major hospitals, and examined psychological distress in general rather than focusing on specific disorders [ 40 , 41 , 43 , 44 ]. Furthermore, while our results are in line with global findings, Saudi Arabia is culturally different in terms of its psychological landscape [ 45 ], and it is possible that religious and cultural beliefs impacted how HCWs responded to the survey.…”