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 had 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.

Social Media Use, Psychological Distress and Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding the COVID-19 Among a Sample of the Population of Pakistan

“…Our results suggest that men had better knowledge, while women had better attitudes and practicing behavior against the COVID-19. Similar results have also been reported in Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia ( 7 , 15 , 30 ). The reason behind this high knowledge among the men compared to women could be attributed to: (a) more easy access to print electronic, and SM updates about the severity of the pandemic by the men compared with women; (b) men have more habits of reading newspapers or listening news compared with women and in accordance with the reported literature ( 31 ); (c) tea shops in Pakistan are also considered a great place for the men to spend a lot of time in discussing various social issues, and (d) most of the men visit the mosques five times a day to offer their prayers and find time to share social news as well.…”

Domestic violence and psychological problems in married women during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: A community-based survey

“…In the present study, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 were used and the prevalence was less compared to studies that used other questionnaires like DASS ( Sediri et al, 2020 ). Other studies using PHQ-9 and GAD-7 had yielded comparable results ( Cuelemans et al, 2021 ; Shahriarirad et al, 2021 ). All the studies mentioned above were conducted online, either using convenience sampling or snowball sampling.…”

“…Studies done in general population have evaluated psychological problems in women separately. One such study found the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in women to be 16.9 % and 22.1 %, respectively, higher than that in men ( Shahriarirad et al, 2021 ); while an Indian study, done in the initial two weeks following the onset of lockdown, observed depressive symptoms in 22.8 %, anxiety symptoms in 20.5 % and stress in 12.3 % of the women ( Verma and Mishra, 2020 ). Thus, depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as stress were found to vary widely in different studies from different geographical areas and at different time periods in relation to lockdown.…”

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome with Features of Atypical Kawasaki Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In this regard, COVID-19 which was declared a pandemic and global emergency by the WHO on 11th March 2020 has seized the attention of medical staff, governments, and people and affected other disease management and diagnosis approaches. Among the group at risk are children, with the disease affecting them in various ways [ 4 – 6 ]. There is a growing global concern that SARS-CoV-2-related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children.…”