PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY TEACHERS OF ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Authors

  • Ayesha Sana Ibadat International University Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Najam us Sahar Ibadat International University Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Faryal Jahan Shifa Tameer e Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
  • Laiba Iqbal University of Lahore, Islamabad Campus, Pakistan.
  • Aqsa Nazeer University of Lahore, Islamabad Campus, Pakistan.
  • Robaica Khan University of Lahore, Islamabad Campus, Pakistan.
  • Kashif Iqbal Ibadat International University Islamabad, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56536/ijpihs.v5i2.146

Keywords:

Depression, Anxiety, Stress, DASS scale, Mental Health, University teachers

Abstract

Background: Teaching profession used to be less stressed, but it has been among most stressed profession for last twenty years. Objectives: This study was carried out to find the prevalence of depression, stress and anxiety among teachers of Pakistan and how it is related to their daily life. In past, this research was conducted only in primary and secondary school teachers and not in university teachers, hence we conducted this study in university teachers of Islamabad. Methodology: Between December 2022 to April 2023, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in Islamabad using a sample size of 104 university teachers. The survey was performed using a self-developed and revalidated questionnaire to assess the depression, anxiety and stress. There were four sections in the questionnaire, section 1 aimed at assessing the sociodemographic characteristics of participants, section 2 contained 5 questions about risk factors, section 3 contained DASS scale to measure the depression, stress and anxiety, it consisted of 21 questions and section 4 contained 5 questions from Mental health Inventory. SPSS version 25 was used for data analysis. Gender differences of study variable were determined by using a t-test. The study was approved by an ethical review board of University of Lahore Islamabad Campus. Results: Results showed 66.3% of university teachers exhibited moderate to extremely severe level of anxiety followed by 32.7% of stress and 44.3% of depression in moderate to extremely severe range which is higher than expected. The Pearson correlation showed a significant relation between mental health variables and depression, stress and anxiety levels. The independent t test showed no significant difference for depression, stress and anxiety with respect to gender. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that most of the teachers have higher than expected level of anxiety and depression as compared to estimation given by WHO, indicating a critical concern within the academic community in Islamabad. To navigate this challenge, it is imperative to develop and implement proactive strategies aimed at mitigating the risk factors associated with these mental health issues.

Author Biography

Najam us Sahar, Ibadat International University Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Published

2024-04-19

How to Cite

Sana, A., Sahar, N. us, Faryal Jahan, Laiba Iqbal, Aqsa Nazeer, Robaica Khan, & Kashif Iqbal. (2024). PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG UNIVERSITY TEACHERS OF ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN. International Journal of Pharmacy & Integrated Health Sciences , 5(2). https://doi.org/10.56536/ijpihs.v5i2.146