Prevalence of Depression among Resident Doctors in King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Othman Majed Alothman, Yazzan Mohammed Alotaibi, Sulaiman Ibrahim Alayed, Saleh Khalid Aldakhil, Mohammed Abdullah Alshehri

Abstract

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder in adults, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has ranked it as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. Doctors are not immune to the disorder; in fact, they have a higher risk than the general population, which affects the physician’s life and compromises the quality of the health services. In Saudi Arabia, resident doctors’ mental health is under-recognized, and more studies need to be conducted to fill this gap. Objectives: This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of depression among resident doctors working at a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, and analyzing the associated factors. Methodology: The study utilized a cross-sectional design. The resident doctors in KFMC hospital in Riyadh participated in this study by filling questionnaires, including a depression-screening instrument (CES-D), a sociodemographic datasheet, and questions about other associated factors. Results: One hundred and nineteen residents responded with an overall response rate of 70%. Based on categorical levels of the CES-D, 41% (49) did not have depression, 20% (24) had mild to moderate depression, and 39% (46) had probable major depression. There were significant differences in depression by gender with higher rates among women (55.1%) than men (27.1%). Further, participants with a history of depression were more likely to have depression (62%).


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