Depression and anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aims:The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, with a high transmission and mortality rate, has created an extraordinary crisis worldwide. Such an unusual situation may have an undesirable impact on the mental health of individuals which, in turn, may influence their outcomes. This study aimed to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological disposition of residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods:A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia between 27 March and 27 April 2020. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to assess depression and anxiety. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of these.Results: A total of 2081 individuals participated in the study. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among the study participants was 9.4% and 7.3% respectively.Non-Saudi residents, individuals aged 50 years and above, divorced people, retired people, university students and those with an income between 2000 and 10 000 SR were at higher risk of developing depression. Saudi individuals, married people, the unemployed and those with a high income (>10 000 RS) were at higher risk of developing anxiety. Conclusion:We found that there is a wide range of Saudi residents who are at higher risk of developing mental illness during the current COVID-19 pandemic.Policymakers and mental healthcare providers are advised to provide continuous monitoring of the psychological consequences during this pandemic and provide the required health support. What's known• The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, with a high transmission and mortality rate, has created an extraordinary crisis worldwide.How to cite this article: Alyami HS, Naser AY, Dahmash EZ, Alyami MH, Alyami MS. Depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

The Prevalence of Mental Distress and Social Support among University Students in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Studies in Australia have explored mental distress among medical students and found that there was a significantly higher incidence when compared to the general public [ 4 , 5 ]. Similarly, comparable findings were reported in different countries in Asia and Africa [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Previous studies conducted in Saudi Arabia (at Jizan University) and in Tanzania (in Dar Es Salaam) reported similar findings that 71.9% and 70.0% of the students have experienced mental distress, respectively [ 15 , 16 ].…”

“…Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019, multiple studies in the Middle East region (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait) have explored the social and mental burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on different sectors of the society, including university students, healthcare professionals and the general population [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 20 , 22 ]. A recent study in Saudi Arabia by Mohammed et al assessed the psychological conditions among university students during the pandemic and found that 26.9% had anxiety symptoms and 22.4% had stress symptoms [ 23 ].…”

“…All studies agree that the pandemic has exerted a considerable amount of extra stress on individuals, resulting in a higher risk of developing anxiety, depression and other forms of mental illnesses, particularly among university students [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 20 , 22 , 25 ]. Due to the continuous financial and educational challenges that have been caused by the pandemic, mental health issues among university students may have intensified with time with the duration of the pandemic.…”

Behavioral Correlates of COVID-19 Worry: Stigma, Knowledge, and News Source

“…Studies conducted throughout the world have consistently found that the lethal spread of COVID-19 and its associated lockdowns have been associated with greater levels of anxiety and depression at the population level [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61]. Several of these studies also noted greater perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 to be significantly associated with depression [53,56,58,59,62].…”

Prevalence of Symptoms of Anxiety Among Residents of Kabul During Pandemic of COVID-19: A Report from Capital of Afghanistan

“…The findings of this survey demonstrate that more than a quarter of people in Kabul have experienced moderate to severe anxiety and that anxiety was more prevalent and severe among women than men. Studies conducted in China, 18 the Philippines, 11 and Saudi Arabia 19 reported similar findings, i.e. one-fourth of the participants reported to suffer from moderate to severe anxiety and female gender was affected more than male.…”