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. 2020 Sep 30;9(9):4904-4910.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_674_20. eCollection 2020 Sep.

Prevalence of COVID-19-related anxiety among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study

Esra H Alzaid  1 , Safa S Alsaad  1 , Nariman Alshakhis  2 , Doaa Albagshi  3 , Rania Albesher  1 , Mahdi Aloqaili  4
Affiliations

Prevalence of COVID-19-related anxiety among healthcare workers: A cross-sectional study

Esra H Alzaid et al. J Family Med Prim Care. .

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 was labeled as a pandemic in March 2020. Healthcare workers (HCW) are confronting great mental stressors in coping with the crisis. In Saudi Arabia, research on the psychological effect of COVID-19 on HCW is lacking.

Aim: To evaluate COVID-19 psychological impact on HCW and determine anxiety predictors to identify high-risk individuals.

Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on HCW in First Health Cluster Institutes in Eastern Province. An English self-administered questionnaire was adopted from similar research done in China. The original questionnaires were modified to meet the objectives of our study and suit Saudi sociodemographic differences. Generalized anxiety disorder-7 scale was incorporated to be the main tool for assessing the psychological impact.

Results: One-third of HCW were classified as having anxiety disorder. In univariate analyses, the age group in years (P = 0.026), gender (P = 0.001), nationality (P = 0.033), and living with family (P = 0.007) significantly influenced anxiety disorder. However, in the multivariate regression model, gender (P = 0.004), living with family (P = 0.021), family history of COVID-19 (P = 0.022), and been suspected or confirmed with COVID-19 infection (P = 0.018) remained statistically significant when compared to anxiety disorder.

Conclusion: During early COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety disorder among HCW was noticeable. Being a female, living with family members, and having a family history of COVID-19 increased the risk for anxiety disorder.

Keywords: Anxiety disorder; COVID-19; Saudi Arabia; healthcare workers; mental disorder.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of anxiety based on GAD-7 criteria
Figure 2
Figure 2
Level of anxiety based on GAD-7 criteria
Figure 3
Figure 3
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia and Responses adopted from Saudi Health Council
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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