Insight into the Tunisian Dental Residents’ Mental Wellness and Coping Mechanism during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Recently, the covid-19 pandemic has dramatically affected dental students and residents worldwide. The aim of this study was to focus on the impact of the pandemic on the perceived stress, the mental health, and the coping mechanisms of the residents of the dental faculty of Monastir. Tunisia. Materials and methods: a voluntary and anonymous survey targeting the dental residents of the Dental faculty of Monastir Tunisia, was conducted between June the 1st to June the 30t2021. The questionnaire was divided into five sections: demographics, perceived stress during the pandemic, mental health, and coping mechanism. Yes /no questions as well as Likert scales were used. Results: Out of the 107 residents that were contacted, 52 responded. Sex ratio was 0.48. Among the respondents, 45.1% found that during the last 6 months, their days were “extremely stressful. A correlation between gender and daily stress was found (p=0.046); concerns about the family wellbeing as well as own health and safety were ranked first when it came to evaluating the stressors during that period. Twenty-three residents (45%) said they have had mental health problems during the last 6 months, 78% (40) of the participants felt sad, upset, and depressed for days during the last 6 months and 31 (62%) residents think they had become more irritable and in a bad mood these past few months. Talking to family and friends was the most reported coping mechanism.