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The mental health of young doctors during the omicron wave

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2023

M. A. Ghrab ,
I. Sellami ,
A. Hrairi ,
M. Hajjaji ,
K. Jmal Hammami  and
M. L. Masmoudi
M. A. Ghrab*
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia
I. Sellami
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
A. Hrairi
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia
M. Hajjaji
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
K. Jmal Hammami
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
M. L. Masmoudi
Affiliation:
Department of occupational medicine, University Hospital Hedi Chaker, Sfax, Tunisia University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The healthcare environment is a special work environment. It exposes the staff to physical and psychological constraints. Interns starting their careers during this pandemic were exposed to additional stressors in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives

We aimed to screen for depression and generalized anxiety disorder among medical interns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study, through a pre-established anonymous questionnaire for Tunisian medical interns. This questionnaire was shared online on social networks in April 2022. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used. The collected data were processed and analyzed by IBM SPSS statistics software.

Results

Our population consisted of 82 interns. The average age was 25.47±1.84 and 76.8% were female. Sixty-one per cent of our population had priors of COVID-19 infection. The mean of the PHQ-9 score was 10.90±6.34. Only 12.2% had a normal PHQ-9 score and nearly one-third of interns had self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Symptoms of moderate to severe depression were observed in 25.6% of interns. The mean of the GAD-7 score was 9.17±5.20. A further specialized evaluation was required in 39.1% of interns who scored 10 or greater. Bivariate analysis showed that the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were correlated (p=0.002, r= 0.78). They were not associated with sex, age, or medical history.

Conclusions

Medical interns, who just started their professional careers during an important COVID-19 wave, suffered greatly in terms of mental health. Serious attention and evaluation are needed for this fragile young category of healthcare professionals.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 66 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry , March 2023 , pp. S594 - S595
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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