Anxiety and depression among patient’s companions during admission to the ICU in the Omicron wave of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study in Aleppo University Hospital

Abstract

Background After the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression have reached high levels, especially after the last wave, Omicron. Healthcare workers in contact with COVID-19 patients or those who come in contact with them may exhibit high levels of anxiety and depression. Therefore, we aimed to assess anxiety and depression symptoms among ICU companions of COVID-19 patients. Methods From 30 November 2021 to 1 March 2022, sixth-year medical students at Aleppo University Hospital conducted interviews with the companions of COVID-19 patients who they brought their patient to the ICU centre as part of a cross-sectional quantitative study using the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 tools to gauge their level of anxiety and depression among companions of COVID-19 patients. The data were analyzed using the SPSS program. In addition, logistic regression models were used to study possible factors of anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19. Results The total number was 997 participants in contact with COVID-19 patients. The mean score of the depression assessment tool (PHQ-9) in our questionnaire was 9.5 with a range of 0 to 27. At the same time, the anxiety assessment tool (GAD-7) had a mean score of 9.1, ranging from 0 to 21. A binary logistic regression was used to predict the relationship between depression and anxiety and various factors. We found that the companions with medical specialties were substantially less likely to develop anxiety than other companions [AOR = 0.459; 95%CI (0.23–0.9)], in addition females were substantially higher likely to develop depression than males [AOR = 1.322; 95%CI (0.992–1.762)]. 45.4% of companions had moderate to severe anxiety, in additon 50.8% of companions had moderate to severe depression. Conclusion Our research reveals that moderate to severe anxiety and sadness are present in roughly half of the COVID19 patients’ companions. Females, people with children, and hard workers were more inclined to feel anxious than others, and those who are not in the medical field were more likely to suffer from depression than others, thus it is critical to assist these groups during the present outbreaks (Omicron and Monkeybox).

Prevalence of internet addiction among Syrian undergraduate medical students

“…[13] This may be because Syria is now experiencing challenges with the internet and electricity as a result of a civil war that has lasted for more than 10 years. [14][15][16][17][18] Other studies reported greater proportions of internet addiction, such as Basem Salama et al research's in Al-Beheira Governorate, Egypt in 2020, which found that 47.5% of the subjects were afflicted by online addiction. [19] Mehdi Sayyah et al 2019.…”

“…[13] This may be because Syria is now experiencing challenges with the internet and electricity as a result of a civil war that has lasted for more than 10 years. [14–18] Other studies reported greater proportions of internet addiction, such as Basem Salama et al research’s in Al-Beheira Governorate, Egypt in 2020, which found that 47.5% of the subjects were afflicted by online addiction. [19] Mehdi Sayyah et al 2019.’s research on medical students in Iran found that (1.6% of them) used the internet normally, (47.4%) had a light internet addiction, (38.3% had a moderate addiction), and (12.9% had a severe degree of addiction).…”

“…This investigation was conducted under the Helsinki Declaration. (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22), and (26.7%) were (23)(24)(25)(26)(27) years, males comprised (37.9%), while females accounted for (62.1%) of the sample. Regarding socioeconomic status, (25.2%) had moderate socioeconomic status, and (59.7%) had good socioeconomic status.…”

Frequency of depression among mental health patients in the POST-COVID-19 ERA.

“…16 This study finds that male patient with increased total lipids and LDL quality of life has progressively regained to pre-pandemic levels because the new crown pneumonia epidemic was brought under control during this time. To maintain the fraction of persons who exhibit mild, moderate, severe, or extreme levels of sadness and anxiety the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 is used to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety in the general population or within specific groups 17 , previous research have demonstrated varied rates of incidence for each symptom category. The only symptoms such sadness, isolation and despair often recorded are those deemed clinically important.…”

An Overview of Signs and Symptoms to Determine Coronavirus and Omicron Patients in Primary Care and Hospitals

“…[14] Anxiety and despair have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly after the Omicron wave. [15] The Omicron version is resistant to modern vaccines more than previous variants. [16] By the end of December 2021, the extremely contagious SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, which was first discovered in November 2021 in Southern Africa, had taken over in the United States.…”