Prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and mental health help-seeking among physiotherapists in Tartu County, Estonia
1
1. Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
2
2. Department of Physiotherapy and Environmental Health, Tartu Applied Health Sciences University, Tartu, Estonia
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
In line with global trends, Estonia faces a shortage of healthcare professionals, alongside increasing mobility and attrition from the profession. This is further compounded by mental health challenges, which may compromise long-term professional retention, threaten the sustainability and quality of healthcare services. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among physiotherapists, their perceived need for mental health support, and actual help-seeking behavior in Tartu County, Estonia.
METHODS:
Physiotherapists working in Tartu County with a workload of at least 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) completed a self-reported survey in 2025, including the Emotional State Questionnaire. Two subscales — depression and anxiety — were interpreted using cut-off scores above 11 points. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation and Pearson’s Chi-squared test were applied; p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS:
In total, 79 physiotherapists participated (mean [SD] age 35 ± 9 years; workload distribution: 38% <1, 54% 1 FTE, 8% >1 FTE; mean [SD] work experience 10 ± 8 years). Symptoms indicative of depression were present in 46.8% (n=37) of participants and symptoms of anxiety in 40.5% (n=32); 32.9% (n=26) scored above the threshold on both subscales. Among physiotherapists with depressive symptoms, 83.8% (n=31; p<0.01) perceived a need for professional mental health support; and 48.7% (n=18; p<0.01) had sought help. Corresponding figures for those with anxiety symptoms were 81.3% (n=26; p<0.01) and 53.1% (n=17; p<0.01). Correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant associations between mental health symptom scores and age or work experience (all r values between -0.08 and -0.04).
CONCLUSIONS:
Depressive and anxiety symptoms were common among physiotherapists. Despite a high perceived need for mental health support, help-seeking remained limited, indicating a gap between need and access to care. Targeted interventions to improve awareness and utilization of mental health services may help sustain the healthcare workforce.
In line with global trends, Estonia faces a shortage of healthcare professionals, alongside increasing mobility and attrition from the profession. This is further compounded by mental health challenges, which may compromise long-term professional retention, threaten the sustainability and quality of healthcare services. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among physiotherapists, their perceived need for mental health support, and actual help-seeking behavior in Tartu County, Estonia.
METHODS:
Physiotherapists working in Tartu County with a workload of at least 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) completed a self-reported survey in 2025, including the Emotional State Questionnaire. Two subscales — depression and anxiety — were interpreted using cut-off scores above 11 points. Descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation and Pearson’s Chi-squared test were applied; p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.
RESULTS:
In total, 79 physiotherapists participated (mean [SD] age 35 ± 9 years; workload distribution: 38% <1, 54% 1 FTE, 8% >1 FTE; mean [SD] work experience 10 ± 8 years). Symptoms indicative of depression were present in 46.8% (n=37) of participants and symptoms of anxiety in 40.5% (n=32); 32.9% (n=26) scored above the threshold on both subscales. Among physiotherapists with depressive symptoms, 83.8% (n=31; p<0.01) perceived a need for professional mental health support; and 48.7% (n=18; p<0.01) had sought help. Corresponding figures for those with anxiety symptoms were 81.3% (n=26; p<0.01) and 53.1% (n=17; p<0.01). Correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant associations between mental health symptom scores and age or work experience (all r values between -0.08 and -0.04).
CONCLUSIONS:
Depressive and anxiety symptoms were common among physiotherapists. Despite a high perceived need for mental health support, help-seeking remained limited, indicating a gap between need and access to care. Targeted interventions to improve awareness and utilization of mental health services may help sustain the healthcare workforce.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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