Assessement of burnout among high school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sfax, Tunisia

Introduction: Facing educational difficulties related to COVID-19, some teachers can no longer adapt, making them potential candidates for burnout. Objective(s): We aimed to assess burnout among high school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine its prevalence and factors associated with it. Method(s): We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, carried out on google drive in May 2021, and relating to 97 Tunisian junior and secondary school teachers from the Sfax region. Burnout was evaluated by the Burnout Measure Short version (BMS-10). Result(s): The sex-ratio (M/F) of our population was 0.32 and the average age was 44.23 +/- 7.81 years old. The labor load was low, medium and high in respectively 1.4%, 57.6% and 41% of cases. Almost a third of participants (30.6%) reported a low satisfaction with working conditions. The average BMS score was 40.19 +/- 13.98. According to the BMS scores, 36.1% of teachers had a very low to a low degree of burnout, 23.6% had burnout while 40.3% had a high to very high degree of exposure to burnout. Furthermore, the BMS score was associated with the female gender (p=0.002), sleep disturbances (p<0.001), suicidal thoughts (p<0.001) and with a medium to a high labor load (p=0.045). Conclusion(s): In this study, Tunisian high school teachers in times of COVID-19 reported a high burnout rate. Thus, the protection of this vulnerable population must be an important component of public health measures.

Depressive disorders among Tunisian high school teachers in the face of COVID-19

Introduction: The constraints linked to COVID-19 may reduce resilience and intensify depressive feelings especially in vulnerable populations such as teachers. Objective(s): To understand the psychological distress in terms of depression of the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia and to determine the correlated factors. Method(s): This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of 97 medium and high school teachers from Sfax, Tunisia. The study was conducted on google drive in May 2021, including an information sheet and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 to assess depression. Result(s): In our study, the sex-ratio (M/F) was 0.32 and the average age was 44.23 years old. The median professional seniority was 16 years (minimum=1, maximum=37). Suicidal thoughts were described by 10.4% of teachers while 54.2% reported the presence of sleep disturbances since the onset of the pandemic. The median PHQ-9 score was 8 (Q1=4, Q3=15). The distribution of scores indicated that 59.7% of participants had no to mild symptoms of depression while 40.3% had moderate to severe depression. Furthermore, the presence of depression was associated with an age <= 40 years old (p=0.037), a professional seniority <= 20 years (p=0.035), the female gender (p=0.005), the presence of sleep disturbances (p<0.001) as well as with suicidal thoughts (p=0.006). Conclusion(s): It seems that COVID-19 health situation in education have led to the emergence of a teacher overexertion and a depth adaptation to the new environment demands. Thus, clinical attention to the depression level of the teachers is certainly warranted.

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia : anxiety disorders

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic time, teachers have to adapt to many changes that could potentially make them more vulnerable to psychological distress. Objective(s): To determine the prevalence and the factors for anxiety during the COVID-19 epidemic among the high school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia. Method(s): This was a cross-sectional study, for descriptive and analytical purposes, conducted on google drive in May 2021.We involved 97 junior and secondary school teachers from Sfax, Tunisia, practicing in public high schools. Anxiety was assessed by using Generalized Anxiety Disorder tool (GAD-7). Result(s): The average age of the participants was 44.23 years old with a sex-ratio (M/F) of 0.32. Since the advent of COVID-19, 54.2% had presented sleep disturbances while 10.4% had suicidal thoughts. Among all participants, 77.8% were afraid of the virus transmission within the classroom or the school and 81.3% reported regular mask wear at work. The median score on the GAD-7 was 6.5 (Q1=3, Q3=11). Scores' distribution indicated that 68% of the participants had no to mild symptoms of anxiety while 32% had moderate to severe anxiety. Furthermore, the presence of anxiety was associated to the female gender (p=0.01), sleep disturbances (p<0.001), suicidal thoughts (p=0.006), and to the conviction that wearing masks blocks the transmission of voice, information or emotions between teacher and student (p=0.025). Conclusion(s): During the COVID-19 outbreak, high school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia have high levels of anxiety.This can lead to a decreased effectiveness of their complex work.

Profil épidémiologique et aspects cliniques du COVID long

Introduction Depuis l'évolution de la pandémie COVID-19, plusieurs études documentaient la persistance de séquelles et de symptômes à distance de la phase aiguë de la maladie baptisé COVID long. Cette entité émergente cliniquement peu spécifique, restait sans définition consensuelle jusqu'à peu du temps. Notre étude visait à déterminer la prévalence du COVID long, ses caractéristiques cliniques et ses facteurs prédictifs. Matériels et méthodes Il s'agissait d'une étude transversale observationnelle par méthode d'entretien téléphonique durant le mois de Janvier 2021. Les patients de la liste régionale exhaustive des patients testés positifs pour SARS-Cov-2 durant le mois d'Octobre 2020 étaient inclus dans notre étude. Les mineurs et les patients décédés étaient exclus. Un délai minimal de 8 semaine définissait le COVID long. Un questionnaire était utilisé pour évaluer les caractéristiques sociodémographiques et cliniques du patient. Résultats Au total, 2070 patients participaient à l'étude. Il y avait 1230 femmes (59,4 %) soit un ratio hommes/femmes de 0,68. L'âge médian était de 40 ans [intervalle semi-interquartile (ISI) : 12,5 ans]. L'obésité était la maladie chronique la plus fréquente chez 402 patients (19,4 %). Il y avait 258 patients hypertendus (12,5 %), 190 patients diabétiques (9,2 %), 108 patients dyslipidémiques (5,2 %) et 247 fumeurs actifs (12 %). La prévalence du COVID long était de 41,6 % (N=861). Parmi eux, 229 patients (26,5 %) ont consulté un médecin au sujet de leur COVID long et 122 patients (14,13 %) ont complété par une exploration paraclinique. Selon les manifestations cliniques, les symptômes décrits du long COVID étaient l'agueusie (68,9 %), les problèmes de concentration et de mémoire (24,9 %), la fatigue (17,4 %), les céphalées (10,4 %), l'anosmie (6,5 %), la dyspnée résiduelle (5,9), les douleurs thoraciques (4,4 %) et les palpitations (4,2 %). Les facteurs indépendants associés au COVID long étaient l'âge inférieur à 60 ans (Odds Ratio ajusté (ORA)=1,8 ; IC=[1,5-2,66] ; p<0,001), le sexe féminin (ORA=1,6 ; IC=[1,35-1,96] ; p<0,001), l'antécédent de maladie respiratoire (ORA=1,8 ; IC= [1,2-2,8] ; p=0,002), l'antécédant de cancer (ORA=3,5 ; IC=[1,03-12,2] ; p=0,048), le traitement anticoagulant (ORA=1,45 ; IC =[1,1-1,8] ; p=0,002),le traitement par l'acide salicylique (ORA = 1,4 ; IC =[1,1-1,9] ; p = 0,026) et la forme clinique de l'épisode aigue : légère (ORA=5,5 ; IC=[3,5-8,5] ; p<0,001) et modéré (ORA=7,1 ; IC=[4,2-11,9] ; p<0,001). Conclusion La compréhension multidisciplinaire de tous les aspects de la pandémie de COVID-19, y compris ces manifestations à long terme, doit être repensée surtout à la phase post-vaccinale. Le COVID long pose de plus en plus un problème de santé publique vu sa fréquence et sa gravité. Par conséquent, des consensus de suivi systémique des patients COVID-19 à long court s'avèrent alors nécessaires pour une meilleure évaluation diagnostique, pronostique et thérapeutique de cette nouvelle entité. Aucun lien d'intérêt