Anxiety, Depression, and Associated Factors Among the Field Midwives During COVID-19 Pandemic in Sri Lanka—A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction Field midwives (FMs) in Sri Lanka, who care for women and children, were challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. During COVID-19, the majority of research found that healthcare professionals experienced anxiety and depression. Objective This study examined anxiety, depression, and related factors among FMs during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used with 145 FMs from randomly selected Medical Officer of Health (MOH) areas in the Matara district. The data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire containing the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 tools. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression examined and presented the data. Results Among the participants, 54.5%, 31.0%, 8.3, and 6.2% experienced minimal, mild, moderate, and severe anxiety. Whereas 46.2%, 32.4%, 17.2%, 1.4%, and 2.8% of the participants had no or minimal, mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression. Being in a family of COVID-19-infected family members, relatives, or friends (OR = 0.33, p = 0.018) and being in a nuclear family (OR = 0.47, p = 0.033) were found to be risk factors against depression while having a history of chronic diseases (OR = 5.87, p = 0.002) and having a sufficient amount of personal protective equipment (OR = 2.52, p = 0.041) were found to be protective. Similarly, having a history of chronic diseases (OR = 4.89, p = 0.002) was found to be protective against anxiety. Conclusion The majority of FMs had minimal anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results will be valuable in formulating policies to support the psychological health of FMs in Sri Lanka.