Depression, anxiety and stress levels during COVID-19 pandemic among frontliners of IIUM hospital and Kuantan campus and its associated Factors

Abstract

Introduction: �e COVID-19 pandemic has instigated a substantial physical and psychological burden on the frontliners globally, leading to physical and psychiatric illnesses, reduction in productivity and burnout. Assessing their mental health status is essential in providing e�ective and e�cient mental health care. Objective: To investigate depression, anxiety, and stress levels, and associated factors among the frontliners of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Hospital and Kuantan Campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 261 frontliners working in IIUM hospital and 125 from the Kuantan campus from March 2021 to March 2023 using a self�administered validated DASS-21 questionnaire for depression, anxiety and stress. �e data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-Square and Fisher’s Exact tests. Results: Among the 386 respondents, 82.1% were categorized as clinical frontliners, 65.8% were female, and 65.8% married. �e overall prevalence of depression was 15.8%, anxiety was 29.5%, and stress was 9.3% among the frontliners. �ey were not di�erent statistically between the clinical and non-clinical frontliners; or between the IIUM Hospital and on-campus frontliners. �e frontliners with post-traumatic event had a signi�cant association with depression and anxiety (p <0.001 and 0.001, respectively), and those with chronic disease(s) were signi�cantly associated with anxiety (p=0.034). Conclusion: More than one-fourth of frontliners su�ere