Abstract
BackgroundThe burden of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted widely on the healthcare providers physically and mentally. Many healthcare providers are exposed to psychological stressors due to their high risk of contracting the virus.AimsThis study aimed to measure the level of anxiety among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. In addition, this study aimed to measure the level of anxiety based on demographic characteristics.MethodA cross-sectional survey was employed to recruit a convenience sample of healthcare providers. A pencil and paper self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from demographic and generalized anxiety disorder GAD-7 data. However, this study received written informed consent from participants of the study. In addition, the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group (IRB Log No. RC20.06.88-03).ResultsA total of 650 participants were recruited, results of GAD-7 showed that 43.5%, 28.9% and 27.5% of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia experienced mild, moderate and severe anxiety, respectively, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that age, health specialty, nationality, and sleeping disorders before COVID-19 were associated with anxiety levels.ConclusionThe generalized anxiety among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia was mild. Older healthcare providers were found to have a higher level of anxiety compared to other participating healthcare providers. Several factors may contribute to a higher level of anxiety including age, socioeconomic status, marital status, having chronic conditions, and sleeping disorder before the COVID-19 pandemic. To further understand the level of anxiety among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, longitudinal and mixed-method research is needed.
Highlights
The burden of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted widely on the healthcare providers physically and mentally
Health specialty, nationality, and sleeping disorders before COVID-19 were associated with anxiety levels, whereas other demographic characteristics, such as type of healthcare facility, gender, hospital department, years of experience, and mental disorders, did not influence anxiety levels
Results showed that the 31–40 age group, healthcare providers other than nurses and physicians, Saudi nationality, and healthcare providers with sleeping disorders before COVID-19 were associated with anxiety levels
Summary
The burden of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted widely on the healthcare providers physically and mentally. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has spread across the world; besides, there is a degree of uncertainty, concern, and worry among healthcare providers (World Health Organization, 2021; Mental Health America, 2020) These excessive worries, intrusive thoughts, and stress may have an impact on the level of anxiety and mental health of healthcare providers (Mental Health America, 2020; American Psychological Association, 2021). Workplace stress in healthcare industry is persistent due to several reasons including exposing to infectious diseases leading to illness or death (Al Mutair et al, 2021) This may produce high rates of anxiety and depression among health care providers (Magnavita et al, 2021). There is growing evidence of that pandemic such as COVID-19 produces high burnout level among healthcare providers and may impact negatively on the healthcare workers mental health and emotional wellbeing (Chirico & Magnavita, 2020; Chirico et al, 2021; Chirico & Nucera, 2020)
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