Covid-19-related anxiety levels in physicians: a preliminary study

Abstract

Objective: A new type of coronavirus appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, spreading rapidly and causing a pandemic. Healthcare professionals were at the front line fighting the pandemic. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on physicians in Turkey, including anxiety levels and other possible contributing variables. Method: The questionnaire prepared by the researchers was administered to the participants over the internet. The questionnaire was anonymized and contained questions about variables such as sociodemographic and professional characteristics, recent history of traveling abroad, presence of a chronic disease history, level of knowledge about Covid-19, ways of obtaining information, and measures taken in their daily and professional lives. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was administered following the information form. Results: In the specified timeframe, 1249 doctors who completed the questionnaire in full were included in the study. Of the study participants, 50.4\% reported that they were psychologically affected by current events related to Covid-19. The mean score of the HADS anxiety subscale was 7.342 (standard deviation {[}SD]=4.756) and the mean score of the depression subscale was 5.64 (SD=4.236). It was observed that physicians who state being affected psychologically have lower levels of knowledge and higher anxiety and depression scores than physicians who declare not to be affected. In addition, it was found that being of the female gender, having a mental illness, having a family member with a chronic illness, and living with one's family are associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression. Conclusion: The anxiety levels of physicians in Turkey having to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic increase significantly as is the case in other parts of the world. It will be beneficial to take necessary precautions for physicians with characteristics that may be related to anxiety. It is important to create and maintain psychosocial support programs for all physicians.