The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak: A Nationwide Survey in Iran

Abstract

Background: Disease outbreak not only carries the risk of death to the public due to the infection, but it also can lead to unbearable psychological impact on the mental health of the individuals. This study aims to explore and evaluate the burden of psychological problems on the Iranian general population during the outbreak of COVID-19.Method: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among the general population of Iran age 15 and above. Demographic variables, depression, and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaires.Results: Among the 8591 participants, the mean age was 34.37 (±11.25) years and 66.4% were female while 33.6% were male. Based on our results, 1295 (15.1%) and 1733 (20.1%) of the general population clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms respectively. Based on the demographic variables, female gender was associated with a higher risk for developing depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas getting information about the disease from medical journals and articles, being older, and being married were considered as associated protective factors. In terms of depression, being a healthcare worker was an associated risk factor. On the other hand, for anxiety, having higher education was a protective factor while a higher number of individuals in a household was considered as a risk factor.Conclusions: This study identified a major mental health problem in the Iranian population during the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, establishing a targeted mental health support program during the time of public emergencies, such as the disease outbreak, is advised.

COVID-19 and Psychological Distress among Older Adults in Ghana

“…As found in the study, 43% of the participants (translating into 172 in 400 older adults) have somewhat suffered psychological distress from COVID-19. This finding showed a higher incidence of psychological distress among the respondents compared to the findings from earlier studies on psychological distress due to COVID-19 [21,[23][24][25][26]. The moderate level of stress reported in our study lends credence to the similar finding discovered by Grover et al (2020).…”

“…Nania et al [2] also posited that adolescents' quest to understand the reasons behind social stratifications in their societies induce the feeling of anxiety and worry in them especially when they belong to the disadvantaged end of the spectrum. Psychological distresses are more prevalent among the young adult category (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30) and the older adult group (above 60 years) [3]. Vahedian-Azimi and others further explained that access to diversified information on social media incubates anxiety and some sense of worry among young adults whereas depression, which is induced by loneliness and regret, is common among people within the older age group.…”

“…For illustration, the Ebola epidemic which affected some West African countries in 2014 and 2015 resulted in massive psychological problems for victims, healthcare workers and the entire population of the affected countries [18,19]. While there exist a plethora of studies which examined psychological distress and its associated factors among different population cohorts like healthcare workers, students and the general population [20][21][22][23][24][25][26], evidence on older adults is limited or non-existent in some African countries. Additionally, the few available studies were conducted in other jurisdictions outside of Ghana.…”

Risk perception and adherence to preventive behaviours related to the COVID-19 pandemic: a community-based study applying the health belief model

“…6 The disease is typically transmitted through infected respiratory droplets following coughing or sneezing and can be prevented by regular hand washing, restricting social contact and observing health guidelines. 7,8…”

Methylprednisolone or Dexamethasone, Which One Is the Superior Corticosteroid in the Treatment of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Triple-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The outbreak was rst described in December 2019 as a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which till January 15, 2021, infected over 93 million cases and caused over 2,000,000 deaths in 218 countries around the world (5). The diseases impact over various aspects has not be unnoticed, from its impact on healthcare system and workers, (6) diagnosis and management dilemmas and overlapping with other disease (7)(8)(9), along with its signi cant mental and emotional impact on the public (10)(11)(12).…”