RESEARCH ARTICLE
Evaluation of Vulnerability Factors for Developing Stress and Depression due to COVID-19 Spread and its Associated Lockdown
Ahmed Alhusban1, 2, *, Karem H. Alzoubi1, 2, Sayer Al-Azzam2, Khawla Q Nuseir2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2022Volume: 18
E-location ID: e174501792209291
Publisher ID: e174501792209291
DOI: 10.2174/17450179-v18-e2209291
Article History:
Received Date: 18/1/2022Revision Received Date: 24/5/2022
Acceptance Date: 3/8/2022
Electronic publication date: 25/11/2022
Collection year: 2022
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
COVID-19 is a pandemic that has been widespread throughout the world. The disease and the measures employed to contain its spread have a detrimental effect on the mental health of individuals. Countries across the world have applied variable combinations of quarantine and social distancing measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. This project aims at identifying the susceptible groups for the development of depression and stress due to COVID-19-associated containment measures. This evaluation will help in prioritizing efforts to ameliorate the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on psychological health.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey that included questions on the demographics and COVID-19 experience. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was evaluated using the PHQ-9 survey, whereas stress levels were detected using the perceived stress scale (PSS). Data regarding demographics as well as exposure to COVID-19, working at home and the financial impact of the pandemic were collected.
Results:
Data were collected from 1541 participants from the MENA region. Depressive symptoms were detected in 54.2% of the participants, and the average stress score was 18.4±0.8. Adjusting for demographics and other variables, younger participants were more likely to report depressive symptoms and higher stress scores. Additionally, younger age, female gender, the coexistence of depressive symptoms, negative effects on monthly income, and ability to do work were found to be independent predictors of higher stress scores.
Conclusion:
Young individuals are more likely to develop depression symptoms and stress. Thus, there is a need for prompt measures to alleviate COVID-19-associated effects on this group.
