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.

Multiple Cesarean Section Outcomes and Complications: A Retrospective Study in Jazan, Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Given the increase in the rate of cesarean sections (CSs) globally and in Saudi Arabia, this study was conducted to assess the maternal and perinatal complications after repeat cesarean sections in the studied population. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the records of all women who underwent CSs between January and July 2023 in three hospitals in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: Of the 268 women studied, 195 (72.7%) had a CS for the first or second time and 73 (27.3%) had two, three, or four previous CSs (repeat CS). The most common maternal intra-operative complications reported by the repeat CS group were intra-peritoneal adhesions (7.5%) and fused abdominal layers (7.1%) while the most common postoperative complications were the need for blood transfusion (22%) and UTIs (3%). The most common neonatal complications were a low Apgar score (19%), needing neonatal resuscitation (2.6%), and intensive care admission. In addition, 3.7% of mothers failed to initiate breastfeeding in the first 24 h. CONCLUSIONS: The frequent complications were intra-peritoneal adhesions, fused abdominal wall layers, blood transfusion, and postoperative infections which were overcome by the optimal hospital care. However, the frequent neonatal complications were a low Apgar score, needing neonatal resuscitation, and intensive care admission.

Determining the Effect of COVID-19 on the Menstrual Cycle Among Women of Reproductive Age Group in the Jazan Region: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has gravely affected the world in various ways. COVID-19 is a major health crisis, with long-term physical and mental health consequences. Many women reported menstrual irregularities during and after the pandemic. The study aimed to assess the effects of COVID-19 on menstrual cycles in females of reproductive age in the Jazan region. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was utilized to conduct the study in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 346 women aged 18-44 years who had normal menstrual cycles for more than a year before the outbreak and had a history of COVID-19 infection. RESULT: The questionnaire was completed by 346 women. Only 144 (41.6%) of the study's respondents were aged 25-34 years. Of the respondents, 283 (81.8%) were university students, and 219 (63.3%) were married. The majority of women (337, 97.4%) were vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of 301 (87.0%) were healthy. Before being infected with COVID-19, 19.70% of the responders had irregular periods, which increased to 59.50% during infection and 33.20% after getting better. There was a relationship between the regularity of menstrual periods during COVID-19 infection and the duration of menstrual periods after COVID-19 (p = 0.035); the frequency of menstrual periods before (p = 0.001), during (p = 0.009), and after (p = 0.001) COVID-19; menstrual period regularity before (p = 0.001) and after (p = 0.001) COVID-19 infection; and pain severity level during (p = 0.001) and after (p = 0.004) COVID-19 infection. Regarding the perception of the impact of COVID-19 on menstrual changes, there was an association between COVID-19 infection and variation in days during two consecutive menstrual cycles (p = 0.001), changes in the duration of menstrual cycles (p = 0.022), delayed or absent menstruation (p = 0.019), and menstruation stopping (p = 0.023). CONCLUSION: The research demonstrated the COVID-19 pandemic is an international health problem that affects women, leading to changes in regularity, duration, frequency, and severity of pain. These changes may have a long-term impact on women's reproductive health.