Depression, anxiety, and stress in Korean general population during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of poor mental health in the general South Korean population during the COVID-19 pandemic MethodsThis cross-sectional, population-based, online survey study was conducted from November 5, 2020 to November 20, 2020 and included adults aged 20-49 years in Chungnam Province, South Korea. A total of 549 adults were included. ResultsA total of 18.8% of the participants had symptoms of depression, 10.6% had symptoms of anxiety, and 5.1% had a high level of perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher levels of stress (OR, 3.13 [95% CI, 1.13-8.67]), anxiety (OR, 2.23 [95% CI, 1.09-4.49]), and depression (OR, 3.00 [95% CI, 1.64-5.50]) were found among never married, widowed, divorced, and separated people compared to married/cohabiting/partnered subjects. Subjects who felt increased stress at home during the COVID-19 outbreak reported more depression (OR, 2.45 [95% CI,) and anxiety (OR, 2.42 [95% CI,). Females had increased risk of anxiety (OR, 1.97 [95% CI,) and stress (OR, 6.40 [95% CI,) level than males. Subjects with the highest household income reported fewer symptoms of stress than subjects with the lowest household income (OR, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.06-0.96]). ConclusionsThe participants in this study exhibited poor mental health index scores, suggesting that some people are at risk for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being married was independently and significantly associated with a lower likelihood of depression, anxiety, and stress.

Association of compliance with COVID-19 public health measures with depression

“…Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and the prevalence of depression in countries around the world has doubled since 2020 18 , 32 . Furthermore, the prevalence of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10) in South Korea after COVID-19 pandemic (18.8%) is significantly higher than the rates of 6.1–6.7% reported in previous Korean studies that analyzed population-based data 33 . The increase in the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Korea is larger than the 9.1% increase reported in a US study 34 .…”

Mental health of Korean adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a special report of the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…Clinical levels of depression, anxiety, or stress were reported by 45% of respondents [ 9 ]. According to another report, 18.8% of the participants had depressive symptoms, 10.6% had anxiety symptoms, and 5.1% had a high level of perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 10 ]. A similar increase in distress was observed in a longitudinal community-based prospective cohort study known as the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Etiology Research Center study [ 11 ].…”

Factors associated with depressive symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico: A 2021 national survey

“…For example, the higher prevalence of depression in women is a finding widely replicated in the literature ( Cortés-Álvarez et al, 2020 ; Ettman et al, 2020 ; Hajek et al, 2022 ; Hernández-Vásquez et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2020 ). Similarly, married or cohabiting individuals have also previously been found to have a lower prevalence of CSDS than separated, divorced or never married individuals ( Alzahrani et al, 2022 ; Cortés-Álvarez et al, 2020 ; Ettman et al, 2020 ; Khubchandani et al, 2021 ; Lee et al, 2022 ; Xiong et al, 2020 ; Yu et al, 2020 ). Also, in our data, it was observed that problems with alcohol or drugs (experienced by oneself or by a close person) were associated with higher CSDS; this is fully in line with what is known in the literature ( Pengpid and Peltzer, 2022 ; Tareke et al, 2022 ).…”