Mental Health and Coping Strategies among University Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross–Sectional Analysis from Saudi Arabia

Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi (), Nimra Aslam Khan, Amina Siddique, Muhammad Salman, Syed Nasir Abbas Bukhari, Muhammad Hammad Butt, Faiz Ullah Khan, Mohammad Khalid, Zia Ul Mustafa, Nida Tanveer, Naveed Ahmad, Muhammad Masood Ahmad, Hidayat Ur Rahman and Yusra Habib Khan ()
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Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Nimra Aslam Khan: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, CMH Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Amina Siddique: Department of Medicine, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
Muhammad Salman: Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Syed Nasir Abbas Bukhari: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Hammad Butt: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
Faiz Ullah Khan: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China
Mohammad Khalid: Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Zia Ul Mustafa: Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Nida Tanveer: Institute of Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
Naveed Ahmad: Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Masood Ahmad: Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Hidayat Ur Rahman: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Yusra Habib Khan: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among faculty and staff at a Saudi Arabian university. A web-based self-administered survey was used to assess probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and coping strategies by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Brief-COPE scale, respectively. Of 502 participants (mean age 36.04 ± 10.32 years, male: 66.3%), 24.1% (GAD-7 ≥ 10) had probable anxiety. Anxiety score was significantly higher in females ( p < 0.001), those with a history of COVID-19 infection ( p = 0.036), and participants with less work experience ( p = 0.019). Approximately 40% of participants met the criteria of probable depression, with females ( p < 0.001) and participants with less experience having more depressive symptoms. Around one-fourth (27.7%) of study participants indicated probable PTSD (score ≥ 33), with higher symptoms in females ( p <0.001), less experienced staff ( p < 0.001), and academic staff ( p = 0.006). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r = 0.844, p < 0.001), anxiety and PTSD (r = 0.650, p < 0.001), and depression and PTSD (r = 0.676, p < 0.001). Active coping, religious/spiritual coping, and acceptance were common coping strategies, while substance use was the least adopted coping method among the study participants. This study indicated a high prevalence of probable psychological ailments among university staff.

Keywords: anxiety; coping strategies; COVID-19; depression; faculty members; mental health; pandemic; psychological health; stress; students; teachers; universities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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