PREVALENCE OF MINOR PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY AMONG FEMALE TEACHERS IN GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TABUK CITY, SAUDI ARABIA

OBJECTIVES: Teachers are at the risk of developing minor psychiatric morbidity (MPM) because of the stressfulness of their job. This may lead to a significant decrease in their teaching effectiveness and to the development of serious health problems, if not detected early and managed appropriately. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of MPM among female teachers in girls’ secondary schools in Tabuk, and to analyze certain important associated demographic characteristics. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. First, a proportional cluster sample was selected randomly from the three sectors of schools in Tabuk, from which female teachers (198 out of a total of 517) in the selected schools were included in the study. Data on MPM and demographic characteristics were collected by means of the General Health Questionnaire 30 (GHQ30), a validated and extensively used instrument for identifying MPM RESULTS: Out of 198 participants, 187 completed the GHQ30 giving a response rate of 94.4%. The prevalence of MPM among them was 59.4% (111 participants). The variables with a statistically significant association with MPM were as follows: young age, nationality, positive participant psychiatric history, family history of medical and/or psychiatric problems, and divorced and widowed. No statistically significant associations were found with participants’ medical problems or their mental status, either single or married, housing type, monthly income, the number of children in a family, and the number of family members. CONCLUSION: The finding of a high prevalence of MPM (59.4%) indicates that all participants may be at risk. Hence, appropriate and timely management, as well as social support are needed. Studies focusing on the causes and how to manage them will also be required.