Abstract
IntroductionPrevious studies conducted on the psychological impact of infectious outbreaks have found heavy psychological burdens among general population with more severe affect in the current pandemic. The main aim of this study is to examine the level of psychological distress during COVID-19 in Bangladesh and explore factors associated with higher psychological distress. MethodsAn internet-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2020 in Bangladesh among adults 18 years old and above using structured online questionnaires distributed through emails and other social media throughout Bangladesh with an overall response rate of 34%. Modified version of the Covid19 peritraumatic distress index (CPDI) was used to measure distress. Univariate and Bivariate analysis was used to estimate prevalence of CPDI symptoms and test for the associations between CPDI and the exposure variables. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds ratios of our outcome variable by exposure variables. ResultsOverall, 44.3% of respondents were suffering from mild to moderate distress and 9.5% were suffering from severe distress. Female respondents were 2.435 times more likely to suffer from CPDI mild to severe distress than males. As compared to Dhaka and Mymensing region of Bangladesh, odds of distress was 1.945 times more in Chittagong/Sylhet region (p-value = 0.035). ConclusionLarge proportion of adult population in Bangladesh are experiencing psychological distress, with level of distress varies by different symptoms and predictors. This study suggest the need to develop comprehensive crisis prevention system including epidemiological monitoring, screening, and referral with targeted intervention to reduce psychological distress.
Highlights
Previous studies conducted on the psychological impact of infectious outbreaks have found heavy psychological burdens among general population with more severe affect in the current pandemic
Studies conducted on the psychological impact of previous infectious outbreaks, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that is similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, have found heavy psychological burdens among healthcare workers and the general public such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or psychotic symptoms.[3,4]
The aims of this study are to evaluate the level of psychological distress during COVID-19 and to explore factors associated with higher psychological distress
Summary
Previous studies conducted on the psychological impact of infectious outbreaks have found heavy psychological burdens among general population with more severe affect in the current pandemic. Studies conducted on the psychological impact of previous infectious outbreaks, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that is similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, have found heavy psychological burdens among healthcare workers and the general public such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or psychotic symptoms.[3,4] Other studies have reported that some psychological problems often occur during similar epidemic[5,6] or other traumatic stress events, such as natural disasters,[7,8] disease,[9] or long-term employment in high stress occupations,[10,11,12] and may last for a long time.[13,14]
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