Background: Depression is a complex disorder that is frequently misdiagnosed as a single clinical mental illness. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of depression among the medical staff of the Family Medicine Department at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Both gender, who accepted to participate in the study, including physicians, medical residents, and nurses, were included in the study. The medical staff of other departments and staff with no past history of psychological problems were excluded. Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) was used to collect the data.
Results: A total of 83 healthcare professionals participated in the study. More than half of them (54.2%) were females and 55.4% were less than 30 years old. According to PHQ-9, 62.7% had minimal depression, while 18.1%, 12%, and 4.8% had mild, moderate, and moderately severe depression, respectively. Generally, 80.7% were not depressed. The chi-square test reported a significant association of depression with marital status (p = 0.013), living status (p = 0.004), and job title (p = 0.000), where single, those who lived alone, and nurses were highly subjected to depression.
Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among the studied population was 19.3%. The occurrence of depression was higher among single participants, those who lived alone, nurses, those who had chronic diseases, and those who did not follow up in a psychiatric clinic.
Key words: Depression, healthcare workers, medical staff, prevalence, Saudi Arabia.
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