In December, 2019, an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly to other parts of China and around the world. We aimed to identify high-risk groups whose mental health conditions were vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were collected from 7,236 self-selected participants measured by anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. The overall prevalence of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep quality were 35.1%, 20.1%, and 18.2%, respectively. People aged < 35 years reported a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms than people aged ≥ 35 years. Healthcare workers have the highest rate of poor sleep compared to other occupations. Healthcare workers/younger people who spent a high level of time (≥ 3 hours/day) had a particular higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms than in those who spent less time (< 1 hours/day and 1-2 hours/day) on the outbreak. During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare workers and younger people were at an especially high-risk of displaying psychological impact when they spent too much time thinking about the outbreak. Continuous monitoring of the psychological consequences for high-risk population should become routine as part of targeted interventions during times of crisis.I
BACKGROUND: As COVID-19 occurs suddenly and is highly contagious, this will inevitably cause people anxiety, depression, etc. The study on the public psychological states and its related factors during the COVID-19 outbreak is of practical significance. METHODS: 600 valid questionnaires were received. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were used. RESULTS: Females' anxiety risk was 3.01 times compared to males (95% CI 1.39–6.52). Compared with people below 40 years old, the anxiety risk of people above 40 years old was 0.40 times (95% CI 0.16–0.99). SDS results indicated that the difference between education level and occupation was statistically significant (p = 0.024, 0.005). Compared to people with a master's degree or above, those with a bachelor's degree group had a depression risk of 0.39 times (95% CI 0.17–0.87). Compared with professionals, industrial service workers and other staff had a depression risk of 0.31 times (95% CI 0.15–0.65) and 0.38 times (95% CI 0.15–0.93). CONCLUSIONS: 600 questionnaire participants were psychologically stable. Non-anxiety and non-depression rates were 93.67% and 82.83%, respectively. There were anxiety in 6.33% and depression in 17.17%. Therefore, we should pay attention to the psychological states of the public.
In the recent outbreak of COVID-19, many countries have taken various kinds of quarantine measures to slow down the explosive spreading of COVID-19. Although these measures were proven to be successful in stopping the outbreak in China, the potential adverse effects of countrywide quarantine have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we performed an online survey to evaluate the psychological effects of quarantine in China using Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale in February 2020 when the outbreak was nearly peaked in China. Along with the anxiety scores, limited personal information such as age, gender, region, education, occupation and specifically, the type and duration of quarantine were collected for analysis. For a total number of 992 valid questionnaires, clinical significance of anxiety symptoms was observed in 9.58% respondents according to clinical diagnostic standards in China. Statistical results showed population with different age, education level, health status and personnel category responded differently. Other characteristics such as gender, marital status, region, and acquaintance with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 did not affect anxiety levels significantly. Respondents experienced different forms of quarantine showed different anxiety levels. Unexpectedly, longer durations of quarantine did not lead to significant increase of anxiety level. Our results suggest a rather mild psychological influence caused by the countrywide quarantine during COVID-19 outbreak in China and provided reference for other countries and regions to battle COVID-19.
This study is aimed to assess the anxiety level of Iranian general population during COVID-19 outbreak. The online questionnaire surveyed 10,754 individuals from the general population of 31 provinces of Iran who completed the questionnaire on social networks from March 1 to March 9, 2020. The inferential statistics suggests that the level of anxiety was higher among women (95 % CI [0.1, 81.36], p < 0.001), people who more followed corona-related news (p < 0.001) and the age group of 21-40 years (p < 0.001). Ultimately, the level of anxiety was significantly higher among people who had at least one family member, relative, or friend who contracted COVID-19 disease (95 % CI [1.2, 35.03], p < 0.001). The health care system should adopt a package of psychosocial interventions to reduce the anxiety of high risk groups.
Huge citizens expose to social media during a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbroke in Wuhan, China. We assess the prevalence of mental health problems and examine their association with social media exposure. A cross-sectional study among Chinese citizens aged≥18 years old was conducted during Jan 31 to Feb 2, 2020. Online survey was used to do rapid assessment. Total of 4872 participants from 31 provinces and autonomous regions were involved in the current study. Besides demographics and social media exposure (SME), depression was assessed by The Chinese version of WHO-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and anxiety was assessed by Chinese version of generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7). multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify associations between social media exposure with mental health problems after controlling for covariates. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and combination of depression and anxiety (CDA) was 48.3% (95%CI: 46.9%-49.7%), 22.6% (95%CI: 21.4%-23.8%) and 19.4% (95%CI: 18.3%-20.6%) during COVID-19 outbroke in Wuhan, China. More than 80% (95%CI:80.9%-83.1%) of participants reported frequently exposed to social media. After controlling for covariates, frequently SME was positively associated with high odds of anxiety (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.31-2.26) and CDA (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.52-2.41) compared with less SME. Our findings show there are high prevalence of mental health problems, which positively associated with frequently SME during the COVID-19 outbreak. These findings implicated the government need pay more attention to mental health problems, especially depression and anxiety among general population and combating with "infodemic" while combating during public health emergency.
Background: This study conducted in mainland China was aimed to explore the cognition, psychological state, anxiety and depression level of college students during coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) epidemic, so as to understand the psychological dynamics of college students under stress. Methods: The data of 509 college students were collected by Internet questionnaire. And the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale were used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Findings: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the majority of college student strongly agreed to reduce outgoing and gathering, accounting for 77.21%. There were statistical differences between different genders of college students in the unease and panic emotion of risk exposure. Moreover, the anxiety and depression levels of college students in China during COVID-19 epidemic were higher than the national norm level. Besides, logistic regression analysis showed that the panic of epidemic situation (OR = 1.562, CI: 1.019 - 2.396) was the risk factor of anxiety. The number of patients in the area was less than 5000 (OR = 0.165, CI: 0.062-0.439), and the official channels were the main means to obtain information about the COVID-19 epidemic (OR = 0.221, CI: 0.073-0.665), which were the protective factor of anxiety. The unease of risk exposure (OR= 2.298, CI: 1.144-4.618) was a risk factor of depression. And the official channels as the main means to obtain information about the COVID-19 epidemic (OR = 0.412, CI: 0.169 - 1.003) may be the protective factor of depression. Interpretation: During the epidemic of COVID-19, the anxiety and depression level of college students increased significantly, which was also related to multiple factors. Therefore, it is particularly important to carry out necessary psychological intervention on college students. Funding Statement: National Science and Technology Major Project (Number:2018ZX10721102-005). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: This study followed the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University.
ObjectiveThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic has raised international concern. Mental health is becoming an issue that cannot be ignored in our fight against it. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and factors linked to anxiety and depression in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
MethodsA total of 144 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in this study. We assessed depression and anxiety symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and social support using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) among patients at admission. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression.
ResultsOf the 144 participants, 34.72% and 28.47% patients with COVID-19 had symptoms of anxiety or depression, respectively. The bivariate correlations showed that less social support was correlated with more anxious (r=-0.196, p<0.05) and depressive (r=-0.360,p<0.05) symptoms among patients with COVID-19. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender ({beta}=1.446, p=0.034), age ({beta}=0.074, p=0.003), oxygen saturation ({beta} =-2.140, p=0.049), and social support ({beta} =-1.545, p=0.017) were associated with anxiety for COVID-19 patients. Moreover, age ({beta}=0.084, p=0.001), family infection with SARS-CoV-2 ({beta} =1.515, p=0.027) and social support ({beta} =-2.236, p<0.001) were the factors associated with depression.
ConclusionHospitalized patients with COVID-19 presented features of anxiety and depression. Mental concern and appropriate intervention are essential parts of clinical care for those who are at risk.
Background: This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the influence of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on residents’ mental health. Methods: This research carried out two cross-sectional surveys in seven provinces of China from January to February 2019, and again in February 2020 (during the COVID-19 outbreak), involving 22,886 and 8,151 residents, respectively. It compares the incidences of anxiety and depressive symptoms between the two surveys, and analyzes the regional differences of the impact among areas with different epidemic severities. Logistic regression is applied to analyze the factors affecting residents’ mental health. Outcomes: During the COVID-19 outbreak, the incidence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in residents was 7·69% and 15·02%, which had increased significantly by 15% and 11%, respectively, compared to 2019. In epidemic low-risk areas, medium-risk areas, high-risk areas, and the outbreak area, the incidence of anxiety symptoms in 2020 increased by 12%, 8%, 17%, and 32%, respectively, and the incidence of depressive symptoms increased by 8%, 6%, 14%, and 24%, respectively. The occurrence of anxiety and depressive symptoms is related to self-reported health status, exercise, social support, and perceptions of the death toll, and treatment difficulty of COVID-19. Interpretation: During the outbreak of COVID-19, the incidences of anxiety and depressive symptoms both increased, and the rate increased with the severity of the epidemic. It is necessary to conduct mental health monitoring of residents during the outbreak, and optimize public service announcements to improve mental health. Funding Statement: This study was funded by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 2016YXMS224), Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. All the respondents’ participation was voluntary and informed consent was obtained.
Objective To understand the cognition, behavioral response and psychological response of community population to the pneumonia epidemic of new coronavirus infection, and to provide information basis for epidemic prevention and control. Methods On January 31, 2020, a questionnaire survey was conducted via the Internet. Convenient sampling was adopted. Key surveys were distributed in 4 colleges and universities in Guangdong Province. The students surveyed were invited to send them to their families and friends to fill out. Results As of February 4, 2020, a total of 22 302 questionnaires were received, with an effective rate of 96.5% (22 302/23 100); males accounted for 33.2% and 84.0% were students. 80.7%~98.3% of the respondents knew about the various routes of transmission of the new coronavirus, 1.7%~30.9% of the people believed the false information circulating on the network, 98.6%~99.2% of the respondents believed that the number of gatherings should be reduced and the number of people should be avoided. The place is important for controlling the epidemic. One week before the survey, 57.7% of students and 63.4% of non-students wore masks each time during the party, and 24.2% of those wearing masks had repeated use of masks. In the past two weeks, 22.9% of the respondents had mild depression tendency, and 9.5% of them achieved moderate, severe and extremely severe depression, among which students and non-students were 9.6% and 8.1% respectively. 2.2% have contacted relatives and friends in Hubei. Conclusion The existing propaganda is strong, and the respondents have a high awareness rate of basic knowledge. It is necessary to further strengthen the real-time disclosure of information, accurate analysis and interpretation, and guide correct public opinion. Sexual cases, repeated use of masks, etc. require more correct guidance. In addition, dynamic and continuous monitoring of community residents' cognition, behavior, and psychology should be carried out to guide prevention and control and publicity strategy formulation.
In December, 2019, an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly to other parts of China and around the world. We aimed to identify high-risk groups whose mental health conditions were vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak. Data were collected from 7,236 self-selected participants measured by anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. The overall prevalence of anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and poor sleep quality were 35.1%, 20.1%, and 18.2%, respectively. People aged < 35 years reported a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms than people aged ≥ 35 years. Healthcare workers have the highest rate of poor sleep compared to other occupations. Healthcare workers/younger people who spent a high level of time (≥ 3 hours/day) had a particular higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms than in those who spent less time (< 1 hours/day and 1-2 hours/day) on the outbreak. During the COVID-19 outbreak, healthcare workers and younger people were at an especially high-risk of displaying psychological impact when they spent too much time thinking about the outbreak. Continuous monitoring of the psychological consequences for high-risk population should become routine as part of targeted interventions during times of crisis.I
