Investigating Stress and Anxiety Among Bank Melli Iran Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background and Objective: The global COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the mental health of individuals worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the levels of stress and anxiety among Bank Melli Iran employees in Abadan and Khorramshahr during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 110 employees were included through census sampling to minimize selection bias. Inclusion criteria were more than one year of work experience; exclusion criteria were a history of mental illness or the use of psychotropic medications. Data were collected using two questionnaires: A demographic information questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 13 software, frequency distribution tables, measures of central tendency and dispersion, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and t-tests. Results: The sample consisted predominantly of male (87.3%) and married (84.5%) employees, with a mean age of 39.8 ± 7.2 years; most participants held a bachelor’s degree (79.1%). The results showed that 81.8% of participants experienced severe or very severe stress, and 98.1% experienced severe or very severe anxiety during the pandemic. No significant relationship was found between stress or anxiety and demographic factors. Conclusions: The majority of participants experienced severe or very severe levels of stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. As bank employees are required to be present at their workplace during crises such as pandemics, they are consistently exposed to stress and anxiety, which jeopardizes their mental health. Therefore, it is essential for health authorities to prioritize the mental health of this group through targeted training and interventions. A key limitation of this study is its cross-sectional design in two cities, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to all bank employees in Iran.