Factors of appearance of depressive symptomatology and stress to mental health professionals

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses nowadays and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) it affects millions of people worldwide. It is an illness that has multiple causes, and it is the result of the interaction of genetic, biological and psychosocial factors. Aim: The aim of this project is the study of the elements and the characteristics of stress and depression in mental health professionals and the degree at which they are affected by factors such as the age, the marital status, the job and the level of education. Material – Method: The sample of the study includes 62 mental health professionals (25 men and 37 women), at an average age of 39,4±8,4, nurses (n=35), doctors (n=12) and other jobs in the health section (n=15). An anonymous closed questionnaire DSSI/sAD by Bedford & Foulds was used. The data analysis was realized with multivariate analysis (MANOVA) and SPSS 16.0. Results: Patients who visited a special doctor for their symptoms demonstrated higher degrees of anxiety and depression [t(60)=2,876, p=0,006] and by those who received special medical treatment [t(60)=3,571, p=0,001]. During the data analysis the effect of age seemed statistically important [F(16,41)=2,83 p=0,004] and the marital status [F(16,41)=2,55 p=0,008] on depression and stress scales respectively. Married patients appeared statistically important anxiety (p=0,001), higher tension (p=0,002) and insomnia (p=0,001). The singles show statistically significant lower score in stress scale (p=0.014) although they tend to resign more often (p=0.001) and working people aged 35-49 experience more intense sorrow than the other age groups (p=0,003), more intense feelings of panic (p=0,018) and tension (p=0,049) and bad mood (p=0,018). Conclusions: The marital status was the most important independent factor which seems to be related in our sample with anxiety and depression, while in a high degree the effect of age at these symptoms was influenced by the marital status. This data is discussed in relation to the potential effect it may have on work and the psychic health of the people.

Keywords: Stress, depression, mental health, mental health professionals