Anxiety and Depression Among People Under the Nationwide Partial Lockdown in Vietnam

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the psychological effects of the partial lockdown on the people in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire regarding attitudes toward COVID-19 along with psychological parameters, including the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was conducted. From a total of 1,382 questionnaires, the respondents reported low prevalence of depression (4.9%), anxiety (7.0%), and stress (3.4%). The mean DASS-21 scores recorded were also markedly lower compared to similar studies conducted in China, Italy, and Iran. Respondents who reported severe PTSD had significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Factors that were associated with an increased level of depression, stress, and anxiety were being single, separated, or widowed, a higher education level, a larger family size, loss of jobs and being in contact with potential COVID-19 patients. Contrary to expectations, the level of depression, stress, and anxiety observed has been low. Our findings can aid in future research on the impact of a partial lockdown and guide mental health professionals in Vietnam and other countries in the preparation of better care for populations under such circumstances.

Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health status and associated factors among general population: a cross-sectional study from Pakistan

“…This is in accordance with a global review which concluded a higher prevalence of psychological disorders among the general population (Xiong et al, 2020). Likewise, several other studies conducted in China, the Philippines and Vietnam also reported a significant impact on the mental health of people attributed to COVID-19 (Le et al, 2020;Tee et al, 2020;Wang, Pan, et al, 2020b). A majority of the participants rated their health as either "good" (n = 751, 47.0%) or "very good" (n = 649, 40.6%).…”

“…The scores of these subscales were grouped into five categories, namely "normal," "mild," "moderate," "severe" and "extremely severe," as shown in Table 1. DASS was also used in previous studies conducted in China, Vietnam and the Philippines, which investigated the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak (Le et al, 2020;Tee et al, 2020;Wang, Pan, et al, 2020b) (McAlonan et al, 2007. Additionally, the DASS-21 reported excellent validity among Pakistani samples (Aslam & Kamal, 2019;Chishti & Rafiq, 2019).…”

“…A recently published global review found female gender, unemployment, student status and people with chronic/psychiatric disorders as risk factors that could deteriorate the mental health of people during COVID-19 outbreak (Xiong et al, 2020). Negative emotions may be compounded in individuals owing to the lockdown (closure of businesses, schools, colleges and universities) (Le et al, 2020;Van Bortel et al, 2016). Moreover, a study undertaken among Chinese and Polish respondents revealed a positive impact of wearing face masks during COVID-19 pandemic on mental and physical health (Wang, Chudzicka-Czupała, et al, 2020).…”

Quality of life and depressive symptoms among Peruvian university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…(33) University students who suffered a family economic downturn and had family members with chronic illnesses reported lower QoL scores. This is consistent with findings from other studies in China and Vietnam (30,34). Loss of economic income implies difficulty in accessing treatment, medication and living expenses, affecting quality of life (29,30,35).…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and health-related quality of life among university students in Turkey

“…The IES-R and DASS-21 were used in the following COVID-19 studies in various countries: Vietnam, Philippines, China and Poland (Le, Dang, et al, 2020 ; Le, Lai, et al, 2020 ; Tee, Tee, et al, 2020 ; Wang, Chudzicka-Czupała, Grabowski, Pan, Adamus, Wan, et al, 2020 ; Wang, Pan, Wan, Tan, Xu, McIntyre, et al, 2020 ).…”