Prevalence and associated factors depressive symptoms among healthcare professionals at Dessie comprehensive specialized hospital, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Depression among healthcare professionals results in adverse effects which might include decreased impairment of work performance, an increased turnover rate, and vulnerability to clinical error. Despite that, there is a paucity of information concerning depression among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identifying the associated factors of depression among health care professionals working at Dessie Comprehensive specialized hospital, Ethiopia. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 252 healthcare professionals at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northeast, Ethiopia. They were randomly selected and depression was measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) with a score of 5 and above. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to explore the potential determinants of depressive symptoms among the participants. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant and, adjusted OR (AOR) with 95% CI was used to present the strength of the association. RESULT: The prevalence of depressive symptoms among healthcare professionals was 27.8% (95% CI: 22.6,33.7). Among participants who had reported depressive symptoms, 72.2, 20.2, 6, and 1.6% reported no, mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms, respectively. In multivariable analysis, being female (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.12,3.67), unmarried (AOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.12,4.15), having a family history of mental illness (AOR = 7.31; 95% CI: 2.27,23.49), and current substance use (AOR = 2.67; 95% CI: 1.36,5.24) were found to be significant predictors of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms were highly prevalent among primary health care professionals. Being female, unmarried, family history of mental illness, and current substance use had a significant association with depressive symptoms among healthcare professionals. They should be promptly screened and managed at a healthcare institution.