COVID 19-Depression and Neurosurgeons

The goal of this survey was to determine factors associated with anxiety/depression among neurosurgeons during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

An online survey was performed of neurosurgeons worldwide, conducted over 3 weeks. Depression in neurosurgeons was assessed by Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20.

A total of 375 responses were received from 52 countries. Among all neurosurgeons, 34% felt tense, 32.5% were unhappy, 25% experienced insomnia, almost 20% had headaches, and 5% had suicidal ideation during the pandemic. Of participants, 14% had a score on Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 consistent with depression. The likelihood of depression was significantly higher among those who did not receive guidance about self-protection from their institutions (odds ratio [OR], 2.47), those who did not feel safe with provided personal protective equipments (OR, 3.13), and those whose families considered their workplace unsafe (OR, 2.29). Depression was less likely in neurosurgeons who had minor concerns, compared with those with significant health concerns for their families (OR, 0.36). In multivariate analysis after controlling for effects of other covariates, odds of depression were significantly higher among neurosurgeons who did not feel safe with the provided personal protective equipment (OR, 2.43) and who were exposed to a COVID-19-positive colleague (OR, 2.54). Participants who had moderate concerns for their families had lesser odds of anxiety/depression than did those with significant concerns (OR, 0.28).

Based on the modifiable risk factors of depression in this study, it is recommended that the safety of neurosurgeons be ensured by providing appropriate safety measures for them to regain their confidence and hence reduce the incidence of depression.