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

• Published in: Global Mental Health Vol. 9; pp. 285 - 297
• Main Authors: Hasan, M. Tasdik, Hossain, Sahadat, Safa, Farhana, Anjum, Afifa, Khan, Abid Hasan, Koly, Kamrun Nahar, Alam, Syeda Fatema, Rafi, Md. Abdur, Podder, Vivek, Trisa, Tonima Islam, Nodi, Rhedeya Nury, Azad, Dewan Tasnia, Ashraf, Fatema, Akther, S. M. Quamrul, Ahmed, Helal Uddin, Rosenbaum, Simon, Thornicroft, Graham
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 2022
• Subjects: Anxiety; Anxiety symptoms; Bangladesh; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-sectional studies; Data collection; depressive symptoms; Ethics; Etiology; Females; Mental depression; Mental health; Original Research Paper; Pandemics; Physicians; Questionnaires; Response rates; Sample size; Social networks; Bangladesh; COVID-19; Bangladesh; physicians; Anxiety symptoms; depressive symptoms
• ISSN: 2054-4251; 2054-4251
• DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2022.30

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. 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). 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. 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.