Hospitalization in neonatology constitutes a narcissistic wound for the mother. This mother-baby separation disturbs the maternal identity and generates a strong feeling of failure and guilt.

To assess self-esteem in mothers of babies hospitalised during the postnatal period in the neonatal unit and to identify risk factors associated with the persistence of low self-esteem 3 months after discharge.

This was a longitudinal, descriptive and analytical study conducted between April and September 2021. The sample consisted of mothers of babies hospitalized in the neonatology department of Sfax-Tunisia for a period ranging from 5 to 15 days. Socio-demographic data were collected using a pre-established form. Self-esteem was assessed during the baby’s hospitalisation and 3 months after discharge, using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, with 10 items, validated in Arabic.

The sample consisted of 86 mothers with a mean age of 32.17 years.

Low to very low self-esteem was found in mothers in 81.20% of cases when their babies were hospitalised and in 68.40% of cases 3 months after discharge.

Some factors were significantly related to the persistence of low self-esteem in mothers after 3 months of their babies’ hospitalisation, such as a low educational level of the mother (p=0.017), an unattended pregnancy (p=0.034), the occurrence of a post-partum complication (p=0.043) and the absence of the first smile in the baby at the age of 3 months (p=0.008).

This study shows a high prevalence of low self-esteem in mothers following hospitalization of their babies in the postnatal period. The concomitance with several socio-clinical factors contributes to the persistence of this low level of self-esteem in these mothers.

Appropriate early and multidisciplinary care helps to rebuild strong self-esteem in the young mother so that she can overcome her psychological difficulties and build a solid foundation for the mother-baby bond.

None Declared

Postnatal hospitalisation is an extremely traumatic event for both mother and baby. Such a situation reflects a psychological dysfunction with a risk of developing a post-traumatic stress disorder.

To study the level of stress in mothers of babies hospitalised during the postnatal period in the neonatal unit and to identify the risk factors associated with the persistence of high levels of stress 3 months after discharge.

This was a longitudinal, descriptive and analytical study conducted between April and September 2021. The sample consisted of mothers of babies hospitalized in the neonatology department of Sfax-Tunisia for a period ranging from 5 to 15 days. Socio-demographic data were collected using a pre-designed form. The level of stress was assessed using the 22-item “Impact of Event Scale-Revised” (IES-R), validated in Arabic.

The sample consisted of 86 mothers with a mean age of 32.17 years.

Severe stress symptoms were found in 77.90% of the mothers during their babies’ hospitalisation. They persisted in 8.90% of the young mothers 3 months after discharge from hospital.

Certain factors were significantly associated with the persistence of a high level of stress in mothers 3 months after the discharge of their babies, such as the occurrence of postpartum complications (p=0.012), the absence of visits to the baby’s intensive care unit (p=0.047) and a living environment with a single parent (p=0.034).

The present study shows that the level of stress is quite high among mothers of babies hospitalised in neonatology during the postnatal period and that this symptomatology can last for months after discharge.

Prevention and reduction of stress induced by postnatal hospitalisation through parental guidance and psychological support for mothers strengthens interactions and the mother-baby bond.

None Declared

Depression is one of the most common chronic illnesses. It requires long-term multidisciplinary care, combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. Hence the need for an educational approach to improve the quality of life of these patients.

Our objective is to create a personalized educational program for patients followed for depression allowing them to acquire the necessary skills to become autonomous in the management of their pathologies on a daily basis.

The therapeutic education program is aimed at patients followed for depression and their families. Our team is multidisciplinary made up of a psychiatrist, a nurse and a dietitian. The educational tools are rich and varied, including computerized resources, written information, brochures and educational games.

The first step is the educational diagnosis which allows to identify the personalized needs of the patient. The caregiver-educator sets with the patient the objectives to be achieved throughout the course, thus defining the educational contract. Then the patient and his entourage can follow a personalized therapeutic patient education program. We offer a program consisting of 7 sessions at the rate of one session per one to two months (2 individual sessions and 5 group workshops). At the end of the program, evaluation and self-evaluation grids are completed.

Therapeutic patient education provides knowledge through which patients with depression develop personal and interpersonal coping skills. This program will allow them to give an acceptable place to their disease so that they can evolve well with it.

None Declared

During the COVID-19 pandemic time, teachers have to adapt to many changes that could potentially make them more vulnerable to psychological distress.

To determine the prevalence and the factors for anxiety during the COVID-19 epidemic among the high school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia.

This was a cross-sectional study, for descriptive and analytical purposes, conducted on google drive in May 2021.We involved 97 junior and secondary school teachers from Sfax, Tunisia, practicing in public high schools. Anxiety was assessed by using Generalized Anxiety Disorder tool (GAD-7).

The average age of the participants was 44.23 years old with a sex-ratio (M/F) of 0.32. Since the advent of COVID-19, 54.2% had presented sleep disturbances while 10.4% had suicidal thoughts. Among all participants, 77.8% were afraid of the virus transmission within the classroom or the school and 81.3% reported regular mask wear at work. The median score on the GAD-7 was 6.5 (Q1=3, Q3=11). Scores’ distribution indicated that 68% of the participants had no to mild symptoms of anxiety while 32% had moderate to severe anxiety. Furthermore, the presence of anxiety was associated to the female gender (p=0.01), sleep disturbances (p<0.001), suicidal thoughts (p=0.006), and to the conviction that wearing masks blocks the transmission of voice, information or emotions between teacher and student (p=0.025).

During the COVID-19 outbreak, high school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia have high levels of anxiety.This can lead to a decreased effectiveness of their complex work.

No significant relationships.

Facing educational difficulties related to COVID-19, some teachers can no longer adapt, making them potential candidates for burnout.

We aimed to assess burnout among high school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine its prevalence and factors associated with it.

We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, carried out on google drive in May 2021, and relating to 97 Tunisian junior and secondary school teachers from the Sfax region. Burnout was evaluated by the Burnout Measure Short version (BMS-10).

The sex-ratio (M/F) of our population was 0.32 and the average age was 44.23 ± 7.81 years old. The labor load was low, medium and high in respectively 1.4%, 57.6% and 41% of cases. Almost a third of participants (30.6%) reported a low satisfaction with working conditions. The average BMS score was 40.19 ± 13.98. According to the BMS scores, 36.1% of teachers had a very low to a low degree of burnout, 23.6% had burnout while 40.3% had a high to very high degree of exposure to burnout. Furthermore, the BMS score was associated with the female gender (p=0.002), sleep disturbances (p<0.001), suicidal thoughts (p<0.001) and with a medium to a high labor load (p=0.045).

In this study, Tunisian high school teachers in times of COVID-19 reported a high burnout rate. Thus, the protection of this vulnerable population must be an important component of public health measures.

No significant relationships.

Stress among physician parents is still poorly studied, especially during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.

To describe the stress of being both a doctor and a parent during COVID-19 epidemic.

It was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, carried out on google drive in March 2021, and relating to 93 Tunisian medical parents. We used a questionnaire containing the parents’ personal and professional data as well as the perceived stress scale (PSS10).

The majority of parents (94.7%) were women. The average age was 34.43 years old. The average age of marriage was 29.6 years for men and 25.4 years for women. The majority of parents (89.4%) had one or two children and 70.2% were satisfied with their relationship with their children. On another side, 71.3% of doctors had to provide on duty services in the hospital, with 44.1% providing 3-4 on-calls per month, while 69% were providing on duty services in the COVID units. The average PSS score was 22.6. The distribution of scores indicated medium and high stress level in respectively 84.9% and 14% of parents. Furthermore, the PSS score was negatively correlated with the marriage age (p = 0.046, r = -0.2). On the other hand, no association was observed with the children number nor with the satisfaction of the relationship with his child.

It follows from our study that stress among physician parents is at a fairly high level. Managing this stress during a pandemic is not easy and requires the activation of several defense mechanisms.

No significant relationships.

Studies have shown that physicians manifest a clear duty to work. For parents, reconciling work with parenthood is not easy and can even lead to depression.

To determine the prevalence and the factors for depression in Tunisian physician parents.

This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of 93 Tunisian physician parents, conducted on google drive in March 2021, including a questionnaire containing the parents’ personal and professional data and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

In our study, the sex ratio (M/F) was 0.05. The average age was 34.43 years old. Almost three-quarters of doctors (71.3%) were providing on duty services in the hospital while 69% were providing at least one call per month in COVID units. The average BDI score was 6.16. According to the BDI score, 60.9% of participants had depression. The BDI score was correlated with several types of dissatisfaction: dissatisfaction with the relationship with his child (p = 0.002), time devoted to the partner (0.001), time devoted to the child (p = 0.004), child’s educational style (p <0.001), time spent on leisure or personal activities (p <0.001), child’s academic performance (p = 0.001) and child’s behavior (p <0.001). Furthermore, the BDI score was associated with postponing having a child for career reasons (p = 0.038) and thinking that his career is slowed down by parenthood (p <0.001).

Depression’s rate among physician parents appears to be significant. It’s associated with a feeling of guilt and dissatisfaction, hence the necessity of an early detection and management.

No significant relationships.

The constraints linked to COVID-19 may reduce resilience and intensify depressive feelings especially in vulnerable populations such as teachers.

To understand the psychological distress in terms of depression of the COVID-19 pandemic among secondary school teachers in Sfax, Tunisia and to determine the correlated factors.

This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of 97 medium and high school teachers from Sfax, Tunisia. The study was conducted on google drive in May 2021, including an information sheet and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 to assess depression.

In our study, the sex-ratio (M/F) was 0.32 and the average age was 44.23 years old. The median professional seniority was 16 years (minimum=1, maximum=37). Suicidal thoughts were described by 10.4% of teachers while 54.2% reported the presence of sleep disturbances since the onset of the pandemic. The median PHQ-9 score was 8 (Q1=4, Q3=15). The distribution of scores indicated that 59.7% of participants had no to mild symptoms of depression while 40.3% had moderate to severe depression. Furthermore, the presence of depression was associated with an age ≤ 40 years old (p=0.037), a professional seniority ≤ 20 years (p=0.035), the female gender (p=0.005), the presence of sleep disturbances (p<0.001) as well as with suicidal thoughts (p=0.006).

It seems that COVID-19 health situation in education have led to the emergence of a teacher overexertion and a depth adaptation to the new environment demands. Thus, clinical attention to the depression level of the teachers is certainly warranted.

No significant relationships.

The early diagnosis of bipolar II disorder remains difficult in clinical practice, hence the importance of psychometric tests.

To detect hypomania in patients followed for a major depressive disorder (MDD) and to determine factors which are correlated with it.

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. It involved 40 psychiatric outpatients, who were followed for MDD (isolated or recurrent episode) at the Hedi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax (Tunisia), from January 26 to February 10, 2020. The study was conducted using a questionnaire and the Angst Hypomania Checklist-20 (HCL-20).

The sex ratio (M/F) was 0.66 with an average age of 54.8 years. MDD started at an average age of 41.45 years. According to HCL-20, half of our sample had hypomania. The presence of hypomania was correlated with young age (p = 0.022), academic failure (p = 0.038) and smoking (p = 0.003). In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between the presence of hypomania and the characteristics of the disease: number of depressive episodes ≥ 2 (p = 0.013), psychotic features (p = 0.038), melancholic features (p=0,025) and premature discontinuation of treatment (p = 0.003).

Our study confirmed that bipolar depression is still underdiagnosed and poorly treated. Questioning a patient about a history of hypomania would be a delicate task and would require the help of a scale, in particular the HCL -20.

The 2019 Coronavirus disease epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern and poses a challenge to psychological resilience.

To study the psychological repercussions in terms of anxiety and depression of the Coronavirus pandemic on the Tunisian population.

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study. We used an online questionnaire on Facebook, on June 2020. The heteroquestionnaire included epidemiological data and two scales: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Form Y-1) to evaluate the anxiety level at the time of the study, and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ 9) to detect a characterized depressive episode.

We included 121 participants. They had an average age of 36.52 years with a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.41. The mean STAI score was 43.12 while the PHQ score was 7.46, indicating that 30.8% of the participants suffered from depression. Both scores were correlated to female sex (p=0.01 for STAI and p=0.02 for PHQ), a history of anxiety (p<0.001) and depressive disorders (p<0.001) and to poor sleep quality (p<0.001). The STAI score was also associated with a family history of high blood pressure (p=0.004), while the PHQ score was correlated to a family history of diabetes (p=0.02), a widowed or divorced marital status (p<0.001) and to a single lifestyle (p=0.03). Furthermore, the two scores (STAI-Y and PHQ 9) were also associated (p<0.001; r=0.67).

The psychological impact of Coronavirus epidemic seems not negligible requiring psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups.

Documenting Tunisian’ stress responses to an unprecedented pandemic is essential for mental health interventions and policy-making.

To describe the perceived stress generated by the Covid-19 epidemic and confinement among the Tunisian people.

Participants had to fill out a questionnaire including epidemiological data and the Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS10), which is the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the stress perception. Individual scores can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.

Our study included 121 subjects, of which 70.6% were women.They had an average age of 36.52 years and a history of psychiatric disorders in 13.1% of cases, such as anxiety disorders (10.4%), depressive disorders (5.9%) and obsessive compulsive disorders (2.3%). More than one in two participants (61.4%) reported the presence of sleep disorders. Regarding medical history, participants declared having asthma (5%), diabetes (1.8%), high blood pressure (3.6%), and a chronic disease with corticosteroid treatment (5%). The mean PSS score was 16.96. This last was correlated to age (p<0.001), female gender (p<0.001), primary or secondary school level (p=0.03), a history of anxiety (p<0.001) and depressive disorders (p<0.001), and to sleep disorders (p<0.001).

The stress level among the Tunisian people during the Covid-19 pandemic was very close to that observed in other countries, deserving special attention especially among vulnerable populations.

The data suggest that anxious drivers may engage in problem behaviors that expose them and others to an increased risk of negative traffic events.

To study the problematic behavior taxi drivers related to anxiety in three areas exaggerated safety/caution, performance deficits, and hostile/aggressive behaviors and to determine the factors who are associated with them.

This is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study of 58 taxi drivers in the city of Sfax, Tunisia. We used an anonymous questionnaire that included a socio-demographic fact sheet, and a driver behavior rating scale: Driver Behavior Survey (DBS) with 21 items.

The mean age of the drivers was 40.8 ± 10.2 years. The sex ratio was 0.98. 75.9% were married. 6.9% lived alone. 53.4% were smokers and 25.9% drank alcohol. Coffee and tea consumption were 59% and 33% respectively. 67% had a pathological personal history, including osteoarticular pathologies. 17.2% had a history of serious accidents. The behavior related to anxiety among taxi drivers was 74.66 ± 13.35. The hostile behavior was 18.88 ± 8, the exaggerated safety behavior was 38.31 ± 7.3 and the deficit performance related to anxiety was 17.47 ± 7.1. The problematic behavior in our population was significantly associated with lifestyle alone, coffee consumption and with serious accidents.

The results of our study identified some risk factors that could lead to poorly adaptive driving behaviors among Taxi drivers. These elements reinforce us in the idea that this population requires special care with a meeting with the doctor.