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. 2022 May 24:9:285-297.
doi: 10.1017/gmh.2022.30. eCollection 2022.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

M Tasdik Hasan  1   2   3   4 , Sahadat Hossain  5 , Farhana Safa  6 , Afifa Anjum  5 , Abid Hasan Khan  5 , Kamrun Nahar Koly  7 , Syeda Fatema Alam  8 , Md Abdur Rafi  9 , Vivek Podder  10 , Tonima Islam Trisa  7 , Rhedeya Nury Nodi  1 , Dewan Tasnia Azad  11 , Fatema Ashraf  1   8 , S M Quamrul Akther  8 , Helal Uddin Ahmed  12 , Simon Rosenbaum  13 , Graham Thornicroft  14
Affiliations

Anxiety and depressive symptoms among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

M Tasdik Hasan et al. Glob Ment Health (Camb). .

Abstract

Objectives: In addition to risking their physical well-being, frontline physicians are enduring significant emotional burden both at work and home during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to investigate the levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and to identify associated factors among Bangladeshi physicians during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods and design: A cross-sectional study using an online survey following a convenience sampling technique was conducted between April 21 and May 10, 2020. Outcomes assessed included demographic questions, COVID-19 related questions, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results: The survey was completed by 412 Bangladeshi physicians. The findings revealed that, in terms of standardized HADS cut-off points, the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among physicians was 67.72% and 48.5% respectively. Risk factors for higher rates of anxiety or depressive symptoms were: being female, physicians who had experienced COVID-19 like symptoms during the pandemic, those who had not received incentives, those who used self-funded personal protective equipment (PPE), not received adequate training, lacking perceived self-efficacy to manage COVID-19 positive patients, greater perceived stress of being infected, fear of getting assaulted/humiliated, being more connected with social media, having lower income levels to support the family, feeling more agitated, less than 2 h of leisure activity per day and short sleep duration. All these factors were found to be positively associated with anxiety and depression in unadjusted and adjusted statistical models.

Conclusions: This study identifies a real concern about the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among Bangladeshi physicians and identifies several associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the vulnerability of the physicians in this extraordinary period whilst they are putting their own lives at risk to help people infected by COVID-19, health authorities should address the psychological needs of medical staff and formulate effective strategies to support vital frontline health workers.

Keywords: Anxiety symptoms; Bangladesh; COVID-19; depressive symptoms; physicians.

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