Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression amongst hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Laquintinie Hospital Douala, Cameroon

Abstract

Studies assessing the mental health of patients with COVID-19 infection remain limited. Disasters and major emergencies, not just COVID-19, undoubtedly lead to greater incidence of mental health problems. Previous studies indicate that the novel Coronavirus disease can cause panic and stress in patients. Our literature search didn’t reveal any previous published data from Cameroon and the Central African sub-region. In order to bridge this gap, we assessed the prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety in COVID-19 patients. We carried out a cross-sectional study in a secondary hospital in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. We recruited hospitalised COVID-19 patients during a 4-month period. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics. The HADS score was used to assess levels of anxiety and depression. All analysis were done using Stata 14. A P value of <0.05 was used as the cut-off for statistical significance. A total number of 285 patients took part in this study with a mean age of 48.47 years. The prevalence of anxiety in COVID-19 patients was 60.35% while the prevalence of depression was 81.40%. At multivariate logistic regression male gender (OR: 1.89, P = 0.04), hypoxaemia (OR: 2.20, P = 0.01), presence of COVID-19 complications (OR: 1.61, P = 0.02) and current episode of depression (OR: 4.14, P<0.01) were independently associated with anxiety. Similarly, age > 35 years (OR:2.03, P = 0.02), presence of comorbidity (OR: 1.68, P = 0.01), BMI > = 30kg/m2 (OR: 1.78, P = 0.02), presence of COVID-19 complications (OR: 1.28, P = 0.01) and anxiety (OR: 4.60, P<0.001) were independently associated with depression. Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 experienced high levels of anxiety and depression. Treatment of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 should therefore include psychotherapy and psychiatric support.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms among home isolated patients with COVID-19: A cross-sectional study from Province One, Nepal

“…This finding is in line with the previous study conducted in Cameroon [46]. The observed association of high levels of anxiety with COVID-19 complications has been demonstrated in a study by Mazza et al [47].…”

Prevalence and associated risk factors for anxiety and depression in infertile couples of ART treatment: a cross-sectional study

“…Their own anxiety and depression were independent risk factors for depression and anxiety, respectively. Similar to our findings, anxiety was an independent risk factor for depression, and depression was a risk factor for anxiety in COVID-19 patients [ 25 ]. Collectively, these studies indicated that it could present interactions between anxiety and depression in infertile couples.…”

COVID-19 and Comorbidities in Douala, Cameroon

“…This finding is likely related to beliefs of Cameroonian about deleterious effects of vaccines including COVID-19 vaccines. This has likely played a great role in increasing rates of psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety among African populations [17,18]. High rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was also found in South East Asia [19].…”