Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures taken by the government to control the situation have imposed adverse impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the general population. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of anxiety among general population of a Himalayan district during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in rural communities of the Himalayan district during the early stage of the pandemic using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data was collected for a period of one month from 13th April 2020 to 13th May 2020. Ethical approval was sought from the Institutional Review Committee of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (Reference number: 2076/2077/07). All the participants of age 18 or above were included in the study excluding those with known mental illness. Convenience sampling method was used. A total of 427 participants were included in the study. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Point estimate at 95% confidence interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. The prevalence rate of anxiety was 196 (45.9%) (41.15-50.64 at 95% Confidence Interval). Anxiety was more prevalent among farmers, illiterate, widowed, and old aged. The study indicates a higher prevalence of anxiety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic compared to reported studies and highlights the need for a strategic intervention to promote awareness and wellbeing at mental health level.
Highlights
COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures taken by the government to control the situation have imposed adverse impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the general population
It has been apparent that infectious disease outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic can increase morbidity and mortality influencing the global death rate.[1]
Studies conducted in Nepal by online study during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the prevalence of anxiety to be 31.0%
Summary
COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent measures taken by the government to control the situation have imposed adverse impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the general population. We conducted a study to determine the prevalence of anxiety among general population of a Himalayan district during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been apparent that infectious disease outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic can increase morbidity and mortality influencing the global death rate.[1] If we look back to the previous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 2003 or Ebola spread, anxiety, depression, stigma, difficult compliance with quarantine, and development of psychological disorder during recovery have been reported.[2,3,4,5,6]. In such circumstances psychological wellbeing could serve as a marker but prevalence estimates are scarce in Nepal and if they are it is far from the Himalayan people.[12,13]
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