Psychological Health, Sleep Quality, Behavior, and Internet Use Among People During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the risk of suicide, uncertainty, mental stress, terror, annoyance, weariness, financial issues, and frustration. We aim to determine the prevalence of insomnia, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and their associated factors among Libyan populations during the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil war.Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among the Libyan population between July 18 and August 23, 2020. The data collected included basic demographic characteristics, level of education, employment status, COVID-19-related questions, and questions about abuse and domestic violence. This study assessed the psychological status of participants who were screened for anxiety symptoms using the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Depressive symptoms were also screened for using the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Binomial logistic regression was used to predict the probability of insomnia, anxiety and depressive symptoms.Results: A total of 10,296 responses were recorded. Among the participants, 4,756 (46.2%) obtained a cut-off score of ≥ 3 which indicated depressive symptoms. For anxiety, 1,952 participants (19%) obtained a cut-off score of ≥ 15, which indicated anxiety symptoms. For the ISI, the mean (SD) was 11.4 (6.1) for the following categories: no clinical insomnia (0–7) 3,132 (30.4%), sub-threshold insomnia (1–7) 3,747 (36.4%), moderate severity clinical insomnia (8–14) 2,929 (28.4%), and severe clinical insomnia (15–21) 488 (4.7%). Logistic regression analysis showed that depressive symptoms were statistically associated with age, marital status, education level, occupational category, financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, health status, having a COVID-19 infection, current health status, suicide ideation, abuse or domestic violence, and lockdown compliance (p < 0.05). The regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between anxiety symptoms and age, education level, occupational status, financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, having a COVID-19 infection, health status, suicide ideation, abuse or domestic violence, and lockdown compliance (p < 0.05). The regression analysis revealed a statistically significant association between insomnia and all study variables with the exception of age, educational level, and occupational status (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Confronted with the COVID-19 outbreak, the Libyan population exhibited high levels of psychological stress manifested in the form of depressive and anxiety symptoms, while one-third of the Libyan population suffered from clinical insomnia. Policymakers need to promote effective measures to reduce mental health issues and improve people's quality of life during the civil war and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Impact of Unplanned School Closures on Adolescent Behavioral Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

“…While staying at home, they need to identify and plan focused, beneficial activites that can enhance their positive emotions. Education could also help individuals creatively optimize limited house space to engage in physical activities that promote incidental and intentional physical exercise, and reduce the risks of obesity ( 19 , 20 ). School administrations should also support health education via practical, creative and targeted videos to help increase awareness about healthy eating, nutrition, sleep and other aspects of behavioral health ( 21 ).…”

An investigation of the association between religious coping, fatigue, anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco: a web-based cross-sectional survey

“…In the United States, the depression prevalence was 3-fold higher during the COVID-19 outbreak than before [41], 32.7% of adults from the Chinese general population experienced elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms [42]. Moreover, nearly half of the Libyan population suffered from depressive symptoms, and one-fifth presented severe anxiety symptoms [43,44]. Univariate logistic regression showed that depression and anxiety were associated with younger age and female gender, while multivariate logistic regression indicated that only female gender remained significant.…”

“…The present study demonstrated that the likelihood of having depression and/or anxiety was higher in participants reporting mental and/or physical fatigue. Indeed, fatigue and depression share specific symptoms such as sleep disturbances, poor concentration, and memory difficulties [43,61]. This explains why patients with either fatigue or depression are reported to be two-fold prone to show an increased risk for the comorbid presentation of both traits, compared to the general population [62].…”

Influence of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Parenting Stress Across Asian Countries: A Cross-National Study

“…For example, Dickerson & Kemeny (2004) conducted a meta-analysis of the relationship between the characteristics of stressors and cortisol responses, and found that tasks containing uncontrollable elements were associated with robust cortisol reactivity [42]. It is possible that in a situation where action is restricted worldwide, the physical symptoms of stress response, such as exhaustion, or changes in sleeping habits [43] are also seen, which may have led to an increase in parenting stress. However, there are some individual differences in tolerance to stressors.…”