Increased psychological distress after the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown in the Saudi population: a cross-sectional study
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ABSTRACT: Background
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its global health and socioeconomic aftereffects, the enduring state of crisis is increasingly impacting the coping capacity of the populations. In this study, we aimed to characterize the levels of psychological distress after the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown. Results
The Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 items (DASS-21) were used to screen for post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and stress. The prevalence of PTSD was 41.6% and was associated with severe or extremely severe stress (27.8%), anxiety (31.4%), and depression (39.0%). All disorders were strongly correlated with one another. The risk of developing PTSD was independently associated with residence in high COVID-19 prevalence region (OR = 2.25, p = 0.004), poor (OR = 3.98, p = 0.002), or moderate (OR = 1.63, p = 0.048) self-assessed overall physical health, psychiatric comorbidity (OR = 1.87, p = 0.036), number of COVID-19-like symptoms (OR = 1.94, p = 0.039), and severe COVID-19 morbidity in the acquaintances (OR = 1.54, p = 0.026). Four theories were proposed to explain these high figures, with a discussion of their practical implications. Conclusions
The lifting of lockdown measures was associated with a substantial increase in psychological distress among the Saudi population, referring to figures reported during the lockdown. This may indicate a decline in the overall population’s coping capacity with the enduring crisis. Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43045-021-00167-9.
SUBMITTER: Alharbi H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8721643 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background: Routine childhood immunization is the most cost-effective method to prevent infection and decrease childhood morbidity and mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected access to health care in Saudi Arabia, including mandatory vaccinations for young children. We aimed to assess the prevalence of intentionally delayed vaccinations in children aged ≤ 2 years during the COVID-19 pandemic curfew in Saudi Arabia, its relation to the caregivers' fear of infection, and identifying factors affecting the caregivers' decision. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered survey that targeted primary caregivers of children aged ≤ 2 years residing in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic curfew (March 4-July 6, 2020). Results: We received responses from 577 caregivers, of whom 90.8% were mothers. The prevalence of intentional vaccination delay was 37%. Upon adjusting the potential confounders, the odds of delaying scheduled childhood vaccination because of COVID-19 pandemic fears were greater among caregivers with higher levels of fear (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.11). Common reasons for delaying vaccinations were COVID-19 infection and prevention of exposure to COVID-19 cases. Conclusion: Intentional vaccination delay leaves young children vulnerable to preventable infectious diseases. Identifying these children and offering catch-up vaccinations reduces this risk. Campaigns to increase awareness about the dangers of delaying vaccine-preventable diseases must be promoted to caregivers in addition to the promotion of home vaccination services. In preparation for future pandemics, we recommend countries consider interventions to control the level of fear and anxiety provoked by the pandemics and media, and interventions for improved access to vaccinations.
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Project description:BackgroundThe effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens from Asia, Europe, or North America begin to be known, but there are fewer publications on its effects in Latin American countries. In this study, its impact in Ecuador is described, with data collected during the first phase of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to analyse the level of psychological distress in the population of Ecuador during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and findingsCross-sectional observational study. The questionnaires were collected through an online self-developed questionnaire, between April 2 and May 17, 2020, using the non-probabilistic sampling methodology: snowball method. The variables considered were sociodemographic variables, physical symptoms, health status, COVID-19 contact history, preventive measures, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The percentage with high psychological distress (PD) (GHQ-12 ≥ 3) has been somewhat lower than that found in Europe, being women, young people, people with higher level of education, living without a partner, not living with children or children under 16 years of age, and with worse perception of health the groups with the highest PD. Differences have been observed with European studies regarding common symptoms, preventive measures to avoid contagion, percentage of infected relatives, or diagnostic tests performed.ConclusionsThe use of the same research instrument, validated in Europe and adapted to Ecuador, has facilitated the comparison of the found results and differences, which can be explained by socio-economic or cultural variables, the health system, level of information, or by preventive measures put in place to prevent the pandemic.
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Project description:Several governments have implemented strict measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdown measures. However, these measures have brought negative consequences at an individual level by exacerbating the psychological distress caused by the pandemic. We evaluated the role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) on the levels of anxiety and depression during the lockdown in a sample of 663 Spanish-speaking adults, while controlling for variables related to social support, hobbies, seeking information related to COVID-19, perceived risk of infection, time of assessment, number of deaths and contagions during the assessment and age. Using multiple regression analyses with a stepwise model selection procedure, 29% of the variance in anxiety and 38% of the variance of depression were found to be predicted by specific CERS. The impact of CERS on anxiety and depression was moderated by the sex of participants and the time of assessment, indicating that CERS did not have the same protective or harmful effects in all participants and situations. Based on our results, recommendations are provided for improving coping with stressful events where lockdown measures are taken.
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Project description:BackgroundAlthough preliminary research has evidenced negative psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among the general population, little research has been carried out examining the interplay among the broader dimensions and correlates of individual distress. Via network analysis, the current study investigated the pathways that underlie some components of psychological distress and their changes over time (during and post COVID-19-related lockdown).Methods1,129 adult participants (79.1% women) completed a two-wave online survey during and after the lockdown, and reported on variables such as depression, anxiety, stress, fear of COVID, intolerance of uncertainty, emotion regulation and social support. The networks were estimated via Gaussian Graphical Models and their temporal changes were compared through the centrality measures.ResultsDepression, stress, anxiety and fear of COVID formed a spatially contiguous pattern, which remained unchanged in both the two waves. After the lockdown, the fear of COVID node reduced its strength in the network, whereas inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty and emotion suppression were associated with depression. Emotion regulation was connected to depression, but not to stress and anxiety during both waves. Perceived emotional support had few connections to the other nodes.LimitationsOnly 32.7% of participants provided complete responses for both waves.ConclusionThe COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant psychosocial impact on adults. In the context of the network approach, depressive symptoms had the highest strength and their associations to other dimensions of individual distress may be key factors in understanding the influence of exposure to the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health.
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