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Depressive disorders among Tunisian high school teachers in the face of COVID-19

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

N. Regaieg*
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
L. Zouari
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
Y. Mejdoub
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Epidemiology, Sfax, Tunisia
R. Feki
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
I. Gassara
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
N. Smaoui
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
S. Omri
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
M. Maalej
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
J. Ben Thabet
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
N. Charfi
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
M. Maalej
Affiliation:
Hedi Chaker University Hospital, Psychiatry C, Sfax, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The constraints linked to COVID-19 may reduce resilience and intensify depressive feelings especially in vulnerable populations such as teachers.

Objectives

To understand the psychological distress in terms of depression of the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia and to determine the correlated factors.

Methods

This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of 97 medium and high school teachers from Sfax, Tunisia. The study was conducted on google drive in May 2021, including an information sheet and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 to assess depression.

Results

In our study, the sex-ratio (M/F) was 0.32 and the average age was 44.23 years old. The median professional seniority was 16 years (minimum=1, maximum=37). Suicidal thoughts were described by 10.4% of teachers while 54.2% reported the presence of sleep disturbances since the onset of the pandemic. The median PHQ-9 score was 8 (Q1=4, Q3=15). The distribution of scores indicated that 59.7% of participants had no to mild symptoms of depression while 40.3% had moderate to severe depression. Furthermore, the presence of depression was associated with an age ≤ 40 years old (p=0.037), a professional seniority ≤ 20 years (p=0.035), the female gender (p=0.005), the presence of sleep disturbances (p<0.001) as well as with suicidal thoughts (p=0.006).

Conclusions

It seems that COVID-19 health situation in education have led to the emergence of a teacher overexertion and a depth adaptation to the new environment demands. Thus, clinical attention to the depression level of the teachers is certainly warranted.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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