ABSTRACT
Background: Health-care workers' psychological status is essential to Preventive control measures in a weak and unstable health system with poor infrastructural constraints. This study examines the psychological impact of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the health-care providers working in primary health-care settings in Sudan. Materials and Methods: This is a health facility-based cross-sectional study conducted in primary health-care units in White Nile State, Sudan. The psychological impact of stress and anxiety was determined using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). A self-administered questionnaire measured depression, anxiety, and stress. The population of this study included health professionals working in health centers, including physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and other support staff. Results: A total of 167 health professionals were systematically recruited. The mean anxiety score in the study population was 8.26 & 9.0 (corresponding to mild anxiety). Participants without anxiety constituted 26.35% (n = 44) of the participants. Women were significantly more likely to be affected than men (P = 0.0). Age (21-40 years), female nurses, and other health-care workers (anesthesiology, public health, health education, occupational health, psychiatry, etc.) could be strong predictors of psychological disorders (P-value of 0.0). Conclusion: This study provided evidence for primary health care at its preparatory levels, as they are the first line of protection against the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing the high-risk population is a high priority in the preliminary phase.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psyche of uninfected people with chronic diseases in the Elduim community, White Nile State, Sudan, during the COVID -19 pandemic. METHODS: We used a generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD -7) and a patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) for psychological assessment. The study included two hundred thirty-four participants; all participants with a chronic disease but not infected with COVID -19 were between 24 and 65 years of age. Residents of the study area were randomly selected. Descriptive statistics and a t-test were used for associations with a p-value of 0.05 or less. RESULTS: This study found that anxiety rated by GAD 7 was either mild (18, 7.7%), moderate (98, 41.9%), or severe (41, 17.5%) among participants. PHQ 9-rated depression showed 22 (9.4%) mild depression, most of them in participants aged 36-44 years. Participants with kidney disease showed major depression 11 (42.31%). Factors that significantly affected anxiety scores were age 24-35 years (P =0.002), university graduates (P < 0.000), married (P < 0.000), those with diabetes and hypertension (P =0.041), and urban residents (P < 0.023). Those who had secondary education were married and smoked were significantly more likely to have major depression than those with another educational status (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: COVID 19 pandemic had a significant impact on the psyche of uninfected people with chronic diseases in Sudan, and significant associated factors were identified. Unique interventions are strongly recommended to reduce the psychological impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
