[Anxiety and Depression Associated with the Management of COVID-19 Among Healthcare workers in Cameroon]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide, at different levels. The literature consulted indicates that healthcare workers, who are the first to respond, are generally the ones who pay the highest price. The present study assesses the extent of anxious and depressive symptoms among these actors responding to COVID-19, in the context of Cameroon.

The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess anxious and depressive symptoms. Data collection involved the use of a web questionnaire for this purpose through the Google Forms virtual platform. The questionnaire link was sent to professional groups spread throughout Cameroon's ten regions. A total of 331 health professionals were interviewed over the period from April 5 to 19, 2020.

The results show a high rate of anxiety (41.8%) and depression (42.8%). There is a higher susceptibility to depression in young people (30-39 years). Fear of contamination and fear of death are modulators of depression and anxiety. The anxiety-depression comorbidity in the sample is 14.73%. The prevalence rates of major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder in the sample were 8.2% and 3.3%, respectively. The data presented confirm the trends recorded in the literature regarding the impact of fatal epidemics on the mental health of healthcare workers.

The results indicate, as is the case with most of the work consulted in the literature, that the Covid 19 pandemic is significantly affecting the mental health of healthcare workers. This underlines the urgency of setting up a specialized aid and/or support system, in the context of the current pandemic, such as that of similar health crises. Such a device does not exist in Cameroon, where the mental health response remains weak.

These results suggest that the healthcare staff involved in the response to COVID-19 in Cameroon are significantly affected in their mental health. This underlines the need for specialized psychological help for nursing staff.