Anxiety and Depression in Healthcare Workers After February 6th, 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake

Aim: Earthquakes are natural disasters that affect survivors physically and psychologically. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are both earthquake survivors and aid responders. In our study, we aimed to determine the level of anxiety and depression and related factors in HCWs involved in the treatment, discharge, follow-up, and rehabilitation of earthquake victims. Materials and Methods: The Kayseri City Hospital Institutional Ethics Board approved the study (Approval number: 841, decision date: 23.05.2024). HCWs such as doctors, nurses, health technicians, medical technicians, and medical secretaries who worked in the acute care of earthquake victims in Kayseri City Hospital after the February 6, 2023 earthquake were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were applied to the participants. Results: A total of 159 HCWs agreed to participate in our study. According to the BDI scale scores, 18.2% of the participants had mild depression, and 4.4% had severe depression. The presence of anxiety and depression was higher in female participants than in male participants (p=0.012, p=0.005). A statistically significant difference was found in terms of anxiety in HCWs who considered themselves earthquake survivors (p=0.002). While anxiety was higher in participants who thought that HCWs were more affected by the earthquake (p=0.034), both anxiety and depression were higher in participants who believed that HCWs should receive psychological support after the earthquake (p-values were 0.01 and 0.004, respectively). Conclusion: Strategies should be developed before and after disasters such as earthquakes to protect and improve HCWs’ mental health, even if they do not request it.