The Relationship between the Level of Depression and the Incidence of Erectile Dysfunction in Health Officers at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Health workers are the first line in health services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. High work pressure, busy working hours, irregular shifts, and fatigue are factors that can contribute to decreased sexual function in health workers, especially erectile function in men. This study aims to determine the relationship between the level of depression with the incidence of erectile dysfunction in health workers at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta.
 Methods: This research is an observational analytic study conducted at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta during June - July 2021. The subjects of this study were health workers (doctors and nurses), totaling 44 people aged 20 - 50 years, who agreed to participate in the study. The level of depression was assessed using a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), while the assessment of erectile dysfunction was carried out using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire in the domain of the erectile function. Both of these questionnaires were given to the subject in the form of a google form questionnaire. The data were then collected and statistically analyzed using bivariate analysis using the Spearman rank correlation test using SPSS with a significance value of p<0.05.
 Results: The results showed that the variables that had a significant relationship with the incidence of erectile dysfunction were depression (r=0.414 and p=0.005) and chronic disease (r=0.528 and p=0.001) with a moderate correlation level (r=0.400-0.599).
 Conclusion: The level of depression is positively correlated with the incidence of erectile dysfunction experienced by health workers at Dr. Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta, Indonesia.