Psychological and Mental Health among Isolated Hospitalized Suspected and Confirmed COVID-19 Patients, Qatif Central Hospital, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia: A Single-Center Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: During COVID-19 pandemic, isolation and quarantine as preventive measures have been implemented. Isolation is often a bad experience for isolated people and it could affect the psychological and mental health. Objectives: To study the impact of isolation on the psychological and mental health of isolated hospitalized suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Material & Methods: A single-center cohort, descriptive survey involving isolated confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in Qatif central hospital, Eastern province, Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted between March 22 and April 18, 2020. Information was collected through an online Arabic-language questionnaire. Our sample included both male and female. Anxiety and depression symptoms during hospitalization were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results: A total of 52 questionnaires were returned completed. The majority of the respondents were females (65.4%). Most of the participants were less than 60 years of age (90.4%). Three patients were known to have previous mental illness. About two-thirds of the participants were isolated in shared rooms. The duration of isolation was less than 10 days in 72.3% of our sample. Borderline and abnormal scores for depression and anxiety were observed in about 38.4%, and 17.3% of patients, respectively. Three patients had both abnormal depression and anxiety scores. Conclusion: Isolation for contagious infections such as COVID-19 could cause How to cite this paper: Alhajjaj, A

Gambaran Gejala Klinis dan Gangguan Psikologis Pasien Positif Covid-19 di Kota Pontianak

“…[10] [14] Hal ini dapat menyebabkan respon imun tubuh mengalami gangguan psikologis pada orang yang terkonfirmasi positif Covid-19 yang menjalani isolasi. [15] [16] [17].…”

Mental Disorders Following Covid-19 Infection: A Systematic Review of Acute and Long-Term Psychiatric Manifestations and Associated Brain Changes

“…Looking at publications reporting a negative impact on the mental state of hospitalised and isolated patients, it becomes evident that adverse psychological consequences of isolation exist (Abad et al, 2010). A more recent study published by Alhajjaj et al (2020) investigated the impact of isolation on suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. They observed borderline or abnormal depression and anxiety scores in 38.4% and 17.3%, respectively, of isolated patients (Alhajjaj et al, 2020).…”

“…A more recent study published by Alhajjaj et al (2020) investigated the impact of isolation on suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. They observed borderline or abnormal depression and anxiety scores in 38.4% and 17.3%, respectively, of isolated patients (Alhajjaj et al, 2020). In contrast, an older publication suggests that anxiety in patients with acute infections is more related to their illness and re-ferral to the hospital than to their inflicted isolation (Wilkins et al, 1988).…”

Psychological Distress Associated with Enforced Hospital Isolation Due to COVID-19 during the “Flatten the Curve” Phase in Morocco: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study

“…The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a global health crisis on many levels. While considerable research has investigated the mental health outcomes of patients in hospital isolation during COVID-19, most findings are issued from high-income countries (HICs) [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In contrast, due to limited data, low–middle-income countries (LMICs) received less attention in policy dialogues [ 6 , 7 ].…”