Prevalence of Depression in General Practitioners during the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic in Lorestan province, Iran, in ۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۱

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease ۲۰۱۹ (COVID-۱۹) pandemic has imposed negative effects on the mental well-being of society and in particular healthcare workers. General practitioners (GPs), as frontline health workers, are continually exposed to mood problems that might endanger their ability to provide patients with proper care. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of depression in GPs during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Khorramabad city Lorestan province, Iran, from ۲۰۲۰ to ۲۰۲۱. A total of ۱۵۱ GPs working in primary health centers and hospitals were studied. Demographic information including age, sex, and marital status was collected. Beck Depression Inventory-II was used to evaluate the symptoms of depression. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version ۲۲.Results: In this study, ۱۵۱ subjects were included, ۷۵ of whom (۴۹.۷%) were male. The mean age of the studied population was ۳۸.۶ ± ۱۱.۴ years. Ninety-seven subjects (۶۴.۲%) had moderate depression, ۴۱ (۲۷.۲%) had severe depression, and ۱۳ (۸.۶%) had very serve depression. The frequency of severe depression was significantly higher in divorced and widowed individuals (p = ۰.۰۲۵), and those with less than ۵ years of work experience (p=۰.۰۴۳), compared with other groups. Conclusion: In this study, an extreme rate of depression was observed among GPs during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Integrated policies should be adopted to empower healthcare workers to maintain their mental well-being during health crises.

کلیدواژه ها:

COVID-۱۹ ، depression ، General practitioners