Mental Health Disorders among Covid-19 Infected Saudi Cohort

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies revealed mental health disorders among general population and healthcare workers during Covid-19 pandemic. However, fewer data are available on mental health status of Covid-19 infected patients. Present study was aimed to survey Covid-19 infected Saudi cohort for common mental health disorders. Objective: To determine the frequency of common mental health disorders (anxiety, depression, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorders [PTSD]) in Covid-19 infected Saudi cohort. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional. Settings: King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (ksa) during March to April 2021 Patients and Methods: The population of the study comprised of cohort of confirmed Covid-19 infected patients (n=310) managed at King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital Jeddah, KSA. The GAD-7 score was used to assess anxiety; Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression, Impact of Event Scale–revised for PTSD and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) was used to assess insomnia. Results: The most frequent mental health disorder found in the present study was anxiety (77.1%) followed by clinically significant depression (36.1%), insomnia (33.9%), and PTSD (21.6%). Individuals with lower level of education demonstrated one and half fold higher risk of having anxiety (OR of 1.54, 95% CI: 1.006-2.343, P=0.047) and widows demonstrated 2-fold higher risk of developing insomnia (OR of 1.7, 95% CI: 1.028-2.80, P=0.039). No other significant association observed. Conclusions: A significant proportion of Covid-19 infected Saudi cohort demonstrated mental health disorders, though of mild degree in majority of the participants. Individuals with lower level of education and widows manifested higher risk of developing anxiety and insomnia, respectively. Keywords: Anxiety; Covid-19; Mental health disorders; Post traumatic stress disorder