Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nepali Health Care Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Survey

Sharma, Ishwor; Misra, Anurag; Shrestha, Bipin Kumar; Koirala, Arun Kumar; Banjade, Anita; Banjade, Prakash

INTRODUCTION: Studies among health care workers from different part of world during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic have reported substantial impact on their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. This study measured the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the mental health of Nepali healthcare workers in different parts of the world during the pandemic. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was carried out from December 25, 2020 to Jan 25, 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (reference number: 372). Online questionnaire including demographic profiles and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 instrument were sent to Nepali healthcare workers around the world through social media apps using convenience sampling. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel for Mac version 16.49 and analysed. RESULTS: Among 208 who participated in the study, 62 (30%) participants were positive for anxiety, 47 (22.5%) for depression and 25 (12%) for stress. Higher prevalence of depression 18 (30%) and stress 10 (17%) was found in nurses compared to paramedics, among whom depression was seen in 5 (20%) and stress in 4 (16%). Among doctors, depression was found in 24 (19%) and stress in 11 (9%). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a high proportion of healthcare workers were suffering from depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings are similar to the data from other national and international studies.