Psychological distress among health care professionals of the three COVID-19 most affected Regions in Cameroon: Prevalence and associated factors

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression among health professionals in the three most affected regions in Cameroon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional type. Participants were health care professionals working in the three chosen regions of Cameroon. The non_probability convinient sample technique and that of the snowball were valued via a web questionnaire. The non-exhaustive sample size was 292. The diagnosis of anxiety and depression was made by the HAD (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale). RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety ranging from mild to severe and those of depression were 42.20% and 43.50% respectively. Anxiety symptoms were associated with the age of the participants (P = 0.006), fear of contamination (P = 0.019), fear of death (P = 0.000), and depressive symptoms associated to the fear of death (P = 0.000).