Investigation of the dentists’ fear of coronavirus disease and psychological status during coronavirus pandemic

Year 2022, Volume: 27 Issue: 3, 323 - 336, 27.09.2022

Tuğçenur Avcı Selim Arpacıoğlu

https://doi.org/10.21673/anadoluklin.1038361

Abstract

Aim: Our study aimed to examine the fear of coronavirus, depression, anxiety and stress levels (along with their associated factors); in dentists who continued to work in close contact with their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This research, which uses a descriptive and cross-sectional design, includes dentists who are actively working during the COVID-19 pandemic and volunteer to participate in the study. Due to pandemic, 376 dentists, who were included in the study by convenience sampling, participated remotely via an online survey. A Sociodemographic Information Form, The Fear of COVID-19 Scale and The Depression Anxiety Stress-21 Scale (DASS-21) were used.

Results: 226 (60.1%) of the participants had fear of contamination and death during the pandemic. Fear of Covid-19, DASS-21 scales and DASS total score were found to be significantly higher in the female group(p<0.001). It was observed that the depression, anxiety, stress and the DASS total scale scores of the dentists who did not have children were significantly higher than the dentists who have children (p<0.001). The fear of COVID-19 and stress scale scores of dentists who started to work with shifts were also significantly higher than the average of those who continued to work with the same working order as before the pandemic (p<0.05). The depression, stress and DASS total scores of the dentists assigned to the COVID-19 contact tracing were significantly higher than the dentists who continued to work with the same working order as before the pandemic (p<0.05).

Conclusion: According to our findings; it was concluded that the presence of psychiatric disorder history in dentists was an explanatory factor on depression, anxiety and stress. Therefore, it is important to follow up dentists with a history of psychiatric disorder more closely and provide psychological support to them.

Keywords

anxiety, COVID-19, dentist, depression, stress

Diş hekimlerinin koronavirüs pandemisi sürecindeki koronavirüs hastalığı korkusu ve psikolojik durumlarının incelenmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Araştırmamızda koronavirüs hastalığı 2019 (COVID-19) salgını sürecinde hastalarıyla yakından temas ederek çalışmaya devam eden diş hekimlerinin koronavirüs korkusu, depresyon, anksiyete ve stres düzeyleri ile bunlarla ilişkili faktörlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır.

Yöntemler: Gözlemsel ve kesitsel tasarımda olan bu araştırma COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde aktif çalışmakta olan ve araştırmaya gönüllü katılan diş hekimlerini kapsamaktadır. Çalışma pandemi tedbirleri nedeni ile elektronik ortamda kolayda örnekleme ile ulaşılan 376 diş hekiminin katılımı ile gerçekleşmiştir. Sosyodemografik Bilgi Formu, COVID-19 Korkusu Ölçeği ve Depresyon Anksiyete Stres-21 Ölçeği (DASS-21) kullanılmıştır.

Bulgular: Katılımcıların 226’sı (%60,1) salgın sürecinde bulaşma ve ölüm korkusu yaşamaktaydı. COVID-19 korkusu, depresyon, anksiyete, stres ölçekleri ve DASS toplam skoru kadın grup ortalamaları erkek grup ortalamasından anlamlı derecede yüksek bulundu (p<0,001). Çocuk sahibi olmayan diş hekimlerinin depresyon, anksiyete, stres ölçekleri ve DASS toplam ölçek skoru ortalamalarının çocuğu olan diş hekimlerinden istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı derecede yüksek olduğu görüldü (p<0,001). Dönüşümlü çalışanların COVID-19 korkusu ve stres ölçek skoru pandemi öncesiyle aynı düzende çalışmaya devam eden diş hekimlerinin ortalamasından anlamlı derecede yüksekti (p<0,05). Filyasyon ekibinde görevlendirilen diş hekimlerinin depresyon, stres ve DASS toplam ölçek skoru ortalaması pandemi öncesiyle aynı düzende çalışmaya devam eden diş hekimlerinin ortalamasından anlamlı derecede yüksekti (p<0,05).

Sonuç: Çalışma bulgularımıza göre; diş hekimlerinde ruhsal hastalık öyküsü varlığının depresyon, anksiyete ve stres üzerinde açıklayıcı faktör olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu nedenle geçmişinde ruhsal hastalığa sahip olan grubun daha yakından takip edilerek psikolojik destek sağlanması önem taşımaktadır.

Keywords

anksiyete, COVID-19, depresyon, diş hekimi, stres

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