Prevalence of Stress Among Health Professionals During COVID-19 Pandemic in The UAE: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted among full-time health professionals of both genders who agreed to participate and sign the consent form. A self-administered, standardized, work-related stress (WSQ) and perceived stress (PSS-10) questionnaire were used. In addition, information on socio-demography, general health, and work characteristics was obtained. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 27. The Chi-square test and logistic analysis were used. Results: The prevalence of moderate/high stress was 90%. The greatest prevalence of high stress was found among older compared to younger professionals [8.6 vs.7.5%, p=0.004], females compared to males [8.1 vs.7.8%, p=0.006], specialist/consultant compared to nurses and medical practitioners [9.7, 8, 2.6%; p=0.01]. Working > 48 hours/ week compared to ≤ 48 hours/week [8.6 vs. 6.3%, p=0.005], have chronic disease compared to No chronic disease [ 8.2 vs. 7.8%, p=0.04]. The percentage of stress in the following work domains: low influence at work; work interference with leisure time; items in “Indistinct Organization and Conflicts” and “Demands and commitments” were: 13, 70.3, 12.1 and 16.3%, respectively. Logistic analyses showed that gender and age significantly predict a high-stress level. Conclusion: The present study showed a high prevalence (90%) of moderate- to high-stress levels. Age and gender were significant predictors of high-stress levels among healthcare professionals. The most frequent work-related stress factor was work interference with leisure time (70.3%).