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

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.

Psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental students: A nationwide study.

OBJECTIVES: Public mental health concerns have been raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the psychological impact of the pandemic on dental students in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among dental students from different universities in Saudi Arabia selected using 2-stage cluster sampling. The psychological impact was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Item questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. A chi-squared test was used to compare the proportions between the sociodemographic data and logistic regression analysis to identify variables associated with the student's responses. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the scale was excellent (0.954). A total of 697 dental students participated voluntarily in the study; their mean age was 21.76 ± 1.859 years, and 54.7% were female. The majority (96.1%) were single, and 69.4% lived in a household of > 5 persons. Significant differences in mental health outcomes were evident for gender, university, and survey time. Elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were recorded among 60.64%, 37.02%, and 34.92%, respectively, of the students. Females, students who lived alone, and junior students were more likely to experience psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of elevated levels of depression, anxiety and stress among dental students highlights the need for psychological empowerment strategies involving institutional counseling services.