Introduction
The prevalence of mental health issues among healthcare professionals and students has become a growing concern worldwide. This study aims to explore the incidence of common mental health challenges faced by dental faculty members across various institutions in Pakistan.
Methods
With approval from the institutional ethics review board, an online survey was distributed to dental faculty members at 14 dental institutions. The survey utilized globally recognized mental health assessment tools, including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Additionally, two open-ended questions were included to gather insights on perceived factors contributing to poor mental health and suggestions for enhancing institutional support.
Results
Out of 200 faculty members invited to participate, 183 completed the survey, representing a response rate of 43% of the total 426 faculty members across the participating institutions. The demographic breakdown included 120 females (65.57%) and 63 males (34.43%). Most respondents were aged between 31 and 40 years (n = 81, 44.26%), followed by those aged 25 to 30 years (n = 51, 22.87%), and 41 to 50 years (n = 40, 21.86%). The average score on the PHQ-9 was 6.51 (SD ± 5.4), while the mean score on the DASS-21 was 13.04 (SD ± 10.95). A significant positive correlation was observed between the PHQ-9 and DASS-21 scores across the overall sample and within each demographic subgroup. Key factors adversely impacting mental health included job-related workload, inadequate institutional support, financial constraints, and poor work-life balance.
Discussion
This study sheds light on the mental health status of dental faculty members across 14 institutions in Pakistan. It identifies critical underlying factors contributing to mental health challenges and offers recommendations to mitigate these issues, emphasizing the need for improved support structures within academic institutions.
Related topics:
