3. RESULTS
Of all the 500 family medicine physicians in the present study, 56.4%
of them were female while 43.6% were male, with the mean age of 37. ±
9.6 (25-63) years. The majority of the participants (55.7%) were
reported to be working in a family health centre (FHC). Table 1 presents
the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants.
Of all the participants, 91.8% (n=459) of them were reported to be
working in the COVID-19 related units (Table 2).
In the study, the anxiety status of 500 family physicians before the
vaccination was assessed and 40.6% (n=203) were found to experience
anxiety about the viral epidemic with a score of ≥15.
When the SAVE-9 scale and sub-scale scores of the participants were
examined, the scores of anxiety about the viral epidemic
(p<0.001) and of work-related stress associated with the viral
epidemic (p=0.020) were found to be significantly higher in female
physicians. No significant relationship was found between the variables
of age, marital status, smoking, having a child, and anxiety and stress
scores, whereas the group that considered themselves as having
inadequate income had statistically significantly higher scores of
anxiety about the viral epidemic and of work-related stress associated
with the viral epidemic (p<0.001) (Table 3).
A negative correlation was found between the level of income and the
SAVE-9 scale and subscale scores, according to which anxiety and stress
scores were found to increase as the level of income decreased (Table
4).
When the participants were evaluated according to their COVID-19-related
workplaces, it appeared that the scores of anxiety about the viral
epidemic (p=0.027) along with the total scores of anxiety and stress
(p=0.033) in physicians actively working in COVID-19 units were found to
be statistically significantly higher than those scores of the
participants who never worked or who previously worked, but not
currently working in such units. Work-related stress scores were found
to be significantly higher in the group who had been infected and
recovered from the COVID-19 infection (p=0.017) (Table 5).
In the present study, when the family physicians were evaluated in terms
of their duties in the units related to the COVID-19, the concern of
infecting the family members of the group who worked actively in the
units related to COVID-19 was found to be significantly higher (p=0.009)
in comparison to the group who previously worked in the units related to
COVID-19, but are not currently working and the groups who have never
worked in the units related to the COVID-19.
The examination of whether or not the family physicians in the group of
50 participants in the present study had received two doses of COVID-19
vaccine revealed that 92% (n=46) were already vaccinated.
After the COVID-19 vaccination, this subgroup of 50 participants were
re-administered the scale for the purpose of comparing the responses
with those received at the beginning. After the re-administration, a
significant decline was observed in the family physicians’ scores of
anxiety about the viral epidemic after vaccination (p=0.001), while no
significant change was found in work-related stress scores (p=0.078)
(Table 6).
The multiple linear regression analysis of the factors affecting the
total scores in the SAVE-9 scale has shown that the variables of being
female (β=0.240; p<0.001), working in the FHC (β=0.123;
p=0.010), being married (β=0.095; p=0.029), smoking (β=0.086; p=0.042),
presence of chronic disease (β=0.103; p=0.016), currently working in the
COVID-19 related units (β=0.092; p=0.034), and having been infected and
recovered from the COVID-19 were positively correlated with the total
scores of the SAVE-9 scale, and that the stress scores were higher in
those participants. We also found that the participants’ SAVE-9 scale
scores decreased with an increasing income level (β=-0.282;
p<0.001) (Table 7).