The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dentists in Germany

Abstract

Since the announcement of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic, several studies reported increased psychological distress among healthcare workers. In this investigation, we examined the association between psychological outcomes and various factors among German dentists. Dentists from all German federal states were invited to participate in this study through a self-administered online questionnaire between July and November 2020. This questionnaire collected information on demographics, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument. The associations displayed between demographic and psychological outcomes of depression, anxiety, stress, intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal were evaluated. Seven-hundred-and-thirty-two dentists participated in the survey and reported overall scores of (4.88 ± 4.85), (2.88 ± 3.57), (7.08 ± 5.04), (9.12 ± 8.44), (10.68 ± 8.88) and (10.35 ± 8.68) for depression, anxiety, stress, intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal, respectively. For females, being between 50–59 years of age, being immune deficient or chronically ill, working at a dental practice, and considering the COVID-19 pandemic a financial hazard were reported as significant associated factors (p < 0.05) with higher DASS-21 and IES-R scores. These findings underline the aspects which need to be taken into attention to protect the mental wellbeing of dentists in Germany during the crisis.

Impact of COVID– 19 on the Psychological Health of Dental Professionals: A Systematic Review

“…According to the authors, this may be due to the fact that, chronically ill individuals might consider them more susceptible on getting COVID -19. Furthermore, Shacham et al (2020) and Mekhemar et al (2021) found that, dental staff in a committed relationship reported of lower psychological distress. Similar findings were seen in the Second Xiangya Hospital, where Chinese medical workers, in order to boost their morale, were kept in touch with their families through video .…”

“…The combination of all these factors, could have resulted in Italian dentists experiencing high psychological distress, than their counterparts in other countries (Armocida et al, 2020). It was ascertained by Gasparro et al (2020), Shetty et al (2020); Tysiąc-Miśta and Dziedzic (2020), Majeed et al (2021), Sarialioglu Gungor et al (2021, Mahdee et al (2020), Mekhemar et al (2021), that COVID -19 anxiety and depressive symptoms are more prevalent in females than in males. This finding is further supported in a study conducted by Wang et al (2020), where it was observed that females underwent a greater psychological impact from the COVID -19 outbreak than men, with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.…”

“…An explanation for this, might be linked with the fact that females generally show considerably greater risks than males in developing depressive disorders, anxiety, stress, as well as PTSD during adulthood (Altemus, Sarvaiya, & Epperson, 2014). It was highlighted by Zhao et al (2020), Sarialioglu Gungor et al (2021, Mahdee et al (2020), andMekhemar et al (2021), that young staff reported of higher depressive symptoms than elderly staff. According to Mahdee et al (2020), older dentists reported less stress than younger dentists, as they may be more experienced in handling similar pandemic situations or emergencies, making them more confident and less prone to anxiety.…”

“…It was also found by Collin and Whitehead (2021), that psychological distress was attributed to feelings of betrayal, compounded by lost trust in leaders of the profession, and the lack of communication during the pandemic. Gasparro et al (2020), Shetty et al (2020), Tysiąc-Miśta and Dziedzic (2020), Majeed et al (2021), Sarialioglu Gungor et al (2021, Mahdee et al (2020), and Mekhemar et al (2021), found that female dentists seemed to be more concerned with COVID -19, and reported higher depressive symptoms than male dentists. In addition, Zhao et al (2020), Sarialioglu Gungor et al (2021, and Mahdee et al (2020), noted that young staff reported of higher depressive symptoms than elderly staff.…”

“…It was ascertained by Shacham et al (2020), that dental staff exhibiting high score for self -efficacy displayed less psychological distress, and dental staff with background illnesses were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Moreover, Shacham et al (2020) and Mekhemar et al (2021), noted that dental staff in a committed relationship reported of lower psychological distress. Mijiritsky et al (2020), concluded that positive association between subjective overload and psychological distress was different amongst countries, with Italian dentists showing more psychological distress in comparison to dentists from China, India, UK, and Israel.…”