Impact of COVID-19 on depression and anxiety among healthcare professionals in Abu Dhabi

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has affected Healthcare workers in many ways. One of the important areas is the psychological impact. This study aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the mental health of Healthcare Professionals (HCP) and associated factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare providers in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, between April 11(th), and July 23(rd), 2020. The study was conducted by using an online anonymous Self-administered questionnaire through the survey monkey platform. A convenient sampling method was used to distribute the online survey link through the organization’s email network admin list and smartphone messaging. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multivariant linear regression were used. RESULTS: Anxiety and depression risk scores were measured in a total of 1268 participants of healthcare providers. More than half of the participants reported symptoms of anxiety (51.5%). Depression symptoms were revealed in 38.3% of participating providers. A mild risk of anxiety was reported in 28.8% of the participants and 12.68% of the participants registered moderate anxiety risk scores and 9.95% reported a severe risk of anxiety. Among all participants, 4.3% and 2.7% reported moderately severe and severe risk of depression, respectively, while 22.5% and 8.8% of the participating healthcare providers documented mild and moderate depression risk. Anxiety and depression risk scores were significantly and negatively associated with age and working in primary health care. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of anxiety and depression recorded among HCP during the pandemic suggests that mental health intervention and support are necessary to ensure the psychological well-being of HCP.