Stress of Thai dentists during COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern with many countries affected including Thai. Due to the nature of the work, dental practitioner is a high-risk professional to contract the disease. Many studies were conducted to study the impact of the situation on mental health of both general population and health care personnel. However, there are scant data about the stress of Thai dental practitioner caused by COVID-19 and the associated factors.

Objectives: The primary aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and level of stress, along with its risk/protective factors. The secondary aim was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic consequences on the stress of Thai dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was developed and distributed via social media from April 24 to May 5, 2020. Demographic, work-related, and financial and socioeconomic status were collected as predictors of stress. Self-administered Stress Evaluation Form-20 (SASEF-20) was used to capture the level of stress. Also, specific questions about COVID-19 were asked to help explore the pandemic’s impact on dentists' stress.

Results: Of 622 responses, 580 were included in the final analysis. Stress level and prevalence were relatively low (hypo-stress=30.17%, normal stress=49.31%). However, the impact of COVID-19 related issues on stress demonstrated a median score of 5.00-8.00 out of 10. The main factors associated with higher stress levels were being a Christian, accepting emergencies during the pandemic, facing increased living expenses, and having a negative cash flow. In contrast, factors associated with lower stress levels were older age, working within certain specialist domains, and having a positive cash flow.

Conclusion: This study revealed low stress prevalence and level among Thai dentists during COVID-19 lockdown. Age, religion, specialty, working status, and change in expenses and cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified as stress predictors.