Anxiety, Depression and Resilience among University Staff in Herat, Afghanistan – 2021

Abstract

Abstract
Anxiety and depression are the two most common mental illnesses in the world. Multiple risk factors contribute
in developing anxiety and depression; the latter leading to suicide. The aim of this study is to identify the
prevalence and associated factors of anxiety and depression, and assess their association with the level of
resilience among academic and non-academic staff of Herat University. This cross-sectional study was
conducted between November 1st and December 28th 2021. Sociodemographic data was collected using a
structured questionnaire. Data on depression and anxiety was collected using the validated Dari version of
DASS-42 questionnaire. Data on resilience was obtained using the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale
(CD-RICS-10). Statistical analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics (version 27). A total of 210
university staff including 154 (73.3%) male and 56 (26.7%) female, with a mean age of 37.67 ± 9.62 years were
included in the study. Of All participant in this study, 58.6% and 54.8% had anxiety and depression,
respectively. There was a significant association between resilience with depression and anxiety. A significant
association was found between depression, anxiety and resilience with economic status, general health
condition, concern about food shortage, losing house, and losing job. While no significant association was found
between depression, anxiety and resilience with gender, marital status, and losing family member in childhood.
The prevalence of mental illnesses is considerably high among Herat University staff. The leadership of Herat
University and public health authorities should implement strategies to tackle this important public health
challenge.