Levels of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Saudi Arabia's Medical and Dental Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Study Following the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Healthcare providers, particularly in dentistry and medicine, experience high stress levels, exacerbated by factors like patient anxiety, clinical work, and continuous training. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased these risks. This study aimed to assess depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) among dental and medical practitioners in Saudi Arabia, investigating influential factors on their psychological behavior. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study conducted in July and August 2021, the depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was administered through a Google questionnaire. Data analysis involved stepwise mode modeling and bivariate analysis, with a significant P value <0.05, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS The study included 376 dentists and 201 medical practitioners. Most worked more than four days a week, slept under six hours nightly, and were non-smokers. DAS scores indicated depression (51.7-57.4%), anxiety (50.7-58.2%), and stress (54.2-60.1%). Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed among younger, single, female, and lower-income participants. Higher DAS scores correlated with less sleep, extensive social media use, and smoking history. Socio-demographic factors were mostly non-significant for medical practitioners, except social media use. Sleep duration significantly impacted stress levels, while specialty, income, and marital status influenced depression CONCLUSIONS DAS levels were notably higher in dentists compared to medical practitioners, particularly regarding anxiety. The impact of socioeconomic factors varied, being more statistically significant for dentists.