Prevalence of depression and anxiety and their associated factors among ministry of health programs residents from different specialties in Abha City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Identifying the magnitude and the determinants of stress-related disorders will help to improve the work environment besides minimizing its drawback on residents' medical care performance. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety and their associated factors among Ministry of Health (MOH) programs residents. Methodology: This cross-sectional survey targeted all MOH residents from different specialties in Abha city. The questionnaire included resident's sociodemographic information, specialty, duration, seniority, workload, shifts, and number of cared patients per shift. Resident's depression was assessed using Depression Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and anxiety was assessed using the anxiety Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 370 residents were included. Residents' age ranged from 20 to 35 years, with a mean age of 27.6 ± 6.7 years. Nearly 61.1% of residents were males and 58.6% were married. About 66.2% of the residents were normal (no depression), while 15.1% experienced minimal depression, 13% had mild depression, and 4.3% had severe depression. Considering anxiety, 85.9% of the residents showed no/minimal anxiety levels, while 7.8% had mild, 4.9% had moderate, and 1.4% showed severe anxiety levels. Conclusions: The study showed that psychological health, including depression and anxiety, was satisfactory among the study residents, where the majority of them were free of both issues. Further nationwide studies are required to assess additional factors such as work environment and autonomy.