Gender difference in COIVID-19 related stress in dental academics

Background: On February 19th, 2020, Iran reported the first confirmed cases of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Qom. With regards to the high risk of COVID-19 contraction and important professional roles of dental academics, the purpose of this study was to find the factors associated with stress levels in Iranian dental academics. Methods: This cross-sectional study is a part of a multinational study run by dental faculty of Alexandria University. The questionnaire collected data on participants? backgrounds (demographic and professional), worries (extracted by Principal Component Analysis [PCA]), and stress level (using Impact of Event Scale [IES]). The survey was uploaded on Google Forms and its link was sent to dental academics on social medias. We used regression models to find the associated variables with higher stress level. Results: A total of 274 respondents completed the survey (response rate = 37-42%) with 66.4% of them being female and about 75% were 25-45 years-old. The IES score mean was 25.85 (out of 75) and 50.4% of participants had moderate to severe level of stress. Female responders (p = 0.018) and those more worried due to ?fear of infection? (p = 0.001) and ?restrictions? (p = 0.001) had higher IES score. Conclusions: COVID-19 has caused a considerable psychological impact on Iranian dental academics. Supportive programs should be scheduled to help dental academics ? especially women - reduce their stress.