Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective:We aimed to determine the mental health and death anxiety among dental staff and students in school of dentistry during COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study among students (n = 300) and staff (n = 60) in School of dentistry in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences during...

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Main Authors: Mahta Jazaiery, Kosar Rezaeifar, Mehdi Sayyah, Maria Cheraghi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.849868/full
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author Mahta Jazaiery
Kosar Rezaeifar
Mehdi Sayyah
Maria Cheraghi
author_facet Mahta Jazaiery
Kosar Rezaeifar
Mehdi Sayyah
Maria Cheraghi
author_sort Mahta Jazaiery
collection DOAJ
description Objective:We aimed to determine the mental health and death anxiety among dental staff and students in school of dentistry during COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study among students (n = 300) and staff (n = 60) in School of dentistry in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences during 2020. The instruments were a demographic questionnaire, Death Anxiety Scale, and Kessler Questionnaire. Data was analyze by using SPSS version 22, in all tests, the significance level was set at <0.05.ResultsThe mean age of dental students and personnel was 23.96 and 40.08 years, respectively. The mean scores of death anxiety were higher in dental staff (8.53) than students (6.02) and the mean scores of mental health status were higher in students (14.78) than personnel (9.18). This indicates that death anxiety was higher in Dental staff, while students were in better mental health status. The correlation coefficient between death anxiety and mental health status was 0.366 among students (p < 0.001), while it was 0.429 among dental staff (p < 0.001), showing a medium relationship between death anxiety and mental health in both groups.ConclusionThe overall findings represent a significant but contradictory relationship between mental health status and death anxiety among dental staff and students during the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic. This suggests the impact of confounding factors in this area, which can be studied by future researchers and policy makers to design health promotion interventions.
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spelling doaj.art-ba9dcc7f45b04ab39047d76b1fe554532022-12-22T03:22:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-05-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.849868849868Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional StudyMahta Jazaiery0Kosar Rezaeifar1Mehdi Sayyah2Maria Cheraghi3Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine, School of Dentistry, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranFaculty Member of Education Development Center, Psychiatrist, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranDepartment of Community Oral Health, Social Determinant of Health Research Center, School of Dentistry, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IranObjective:We aimed to determine the mental health and death anxiety among dental staff and students in school of dentistry during COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study among students (n = 300) and staff (n = 60) in School of dentistry in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences during 2020. The instruments were a demographic questionnaire, Death Anxiety Scale, and Kessler Questionnaire. Data was analyze by using SPSS version 22, in all tests, the significance level was set at <0.05.ResultsThe mean age of dental students and personnel was 23.96 and 40.08 years, respectively. The mean scores of death anxiety were higher in dental staff (8.53) than students (6.02) and the mean scores of mental health status were higher in students (14.78) than personnel (9.18). This indicates that death anxiety was higher in Dental staff, while students were in better mental health status. The correlation coefficient between death anxiety and mental health status was 0.366 among students (p < 0.001), while it was 0.429 among dental staff (p < 0.001), showing a medium relationship between death anxiety and mental health in both groups.ConclusionThe overall findings represent a significant but contradictory relationship between mental health status and death anxiety among dental staff and students during the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic. This suggests the impact of confounding factors in this area, which can be studied by future researchers and policy makers to design health promotion interventions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.849868/fullCOVID-19mental healthdeath anxietydental staff and studentsIran
spellingShingle Mahta Jazaiery
Kosar Rezaeifar
Mehdi Sayyah
Maria Cheraghi
Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
Frontiers in Psychiatry
COVID-19
mental health
death anxiety
dental staff and students
Iran
title Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_fullStr Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_short Relationship Between Mental Health and Death Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Staff and Students: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_sort relationship between mental health and death anxiety during covid 19 pandemic in dental staff and students a cross sectional study
topic COVID-19
mental health
death anxiety
dental staff and students
Iran
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.849868/full
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AT mehdisayyah relationshipbetweenmentalhealthanddeathanxietyduringcovid19pandemicindentalstaffandstudentsacrosssectionalstudy
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