Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among healthcare professionals at tertiary care hospitals, Karachi – Pakistan

Background: The prevalence and severity of mental health issues among the healthcare professionals (HPs) has escalated during the past few years. Depression, anxiety and stress are common complaints among the HP’s, having a profound impact on their personal and professional life. The purpose of this study was to assess the severity level of depression, anxiety and stress among HPs at tertiary care hospitals of Karachi. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2019 at three tertiary care teaching hospitals of Karachi including Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), National Institute of Child Health (NICH) and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). Total 260 HPs (doctors, nurses, physiotherapist, pharmacist, laboratory technician and nursing technicians) were selected through convenience sampling method. In addition to the demographic details, the prevalence and severity score of depression, anxiety and stress was assessed using depression, anxiety and stress scale 42 (DASS 42). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Among 260 HP’s, 48.5% were males and 51.5% were females, moderate depression was found in 33(12.7%) HP’s, 2 8(10.8%) had severe depression while 6(2.3%) were suffering from extremely severe depression. Anxiety levels were moderate in 67(25.8%), 32(12.3%) and 21(8.1%) reported severe and very severe anxiety respectively. Moreover, stress levels were moderate among 45(17.3%) HP’s, while severe and very severe levels were observed among 13(5%) and 7(2.7%) responders respectively. There was no association in between the sociodemographic characteristics and depression, anxiety and stress (p>0.05). Conclusion: It was observed that most of the HP’s were suffering from mild to moderate depression, anxiety and stress. Further research is required to explore the possible contributing factors and methods for eradication of this health issue.