anxiety and depression among sudanese Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic : a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Sudan journal of medical sciences Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 539 - 555
• Main Authors: Fadl al-Mawla, Hammad Ali, Abd al-Malak, Muhammad Abd al-Karim Adam, Abd Allah, Abd Allah Muhammad, al-Husayn, Amal Muhammad, Masad, Huda Khalaf Allah, Mariud, Abd al-Basit Adam, Uthman, Iyas Jafar Abd al-Rahim, Yousif, Kalthoum I., Adam, Aisha M., Ebrahim, Sahar A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Omdurman, Sudan Omdurman Islamic University, Faculty of Medicine 31.12.2022; Knowledge E
• Subjects: anxiety, depression, sudanese nurses, covid-19 pandemic
• ISSN: 1858-5051; 1858-8530; 1858-5051
• DOI: 10.18502/sjms.v17i4.12552

Background : While treating patients during a pandemic, nurses are at risk of mental health issues caused by the stress they face. This study aimed to examine the degree of anxiety and depression among Sudanese nurses throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and demographic features and their association with depression and anxiety. Methods : An online-based cross-sectional study was conducted on Sudanese nurses. Data were collected from eligible nurses using a three-part questionnaire : demographic questions, the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the major depression index (MDI). We used the Chi-square test and Spearman or point biserial correlation to assess the association between demographics, anxiety, and depression. Results : Two hundred and forty-six nurses from Sudan participated in this study. Around 69.5% of participants experienced mild to severe anxiety, while 26.4% revealed mild to severe depression. We found a significant association between depression and anxiety (P < 0.001). However, we did not find a significant association between depression or anxiety categories and the baseline characteristics of participants. Conclusion : Our study demonstrates high rates of anxiety and depression among Sudanese nurses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As we found no association between anxiety and depression with personal characteristics, psychological support should be given to all nurses' categories as all of them nearly have the same risk for anxiety and depression.