Abstract
BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic with serious consequences that have led to the implementation of unprecedented social isolation measures. At the early stages of the pandemic, Ecuador was one of the most affected countries in Latin America. The objective of this study was to assess the levels of depression, anxiety and stress in the Ecuadorian general population during the social isolation period due to COVID-19.MethodsA web-based survey consisting of 31 short-answer and multiple-choice questions was administered to the general population from April 22–May 3, 2020. Mental health status was assessed through the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaire. Ordinal logistic analyses were used to identify potential risk factors associated with the severity of mental health issues.ResultsA total of 626 individuals were included. Most of them were females (60.5%), and their mean age was 29.6 ± 11.7 years. Approximately 17.7% of the respondents had moderate to very severe levels of depression, 30.7% had similar levels of anxiety, and 14.2% experienced stress. Female sex, younger age, student status, and having a relative diagnosed with COVID-19 were associated with significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Ordinal regression models showed that being a student was a risk factor for having more severe levels of depression (OR = 3.67; 95% CI = 2.56–5.26, p: 0.0001), anxiety (OR= 1.86; 95% CI= 1.35–2.55, p: 0.0001), and stress (OR = 2.17; 95% CI= 1.47–3.19, p: 0.0001). Having a relative with COVID-19 was also found to be a risk factor only for depression (OR= 1.70; 95% CI= 1.03–2.80, p: 0.036) and anxiety (OR = 2.17; 95% CI= 1.35–3.47, p: 0.001). Additionally, male sex, older age, and having more children were found to be protective factors for the three conditions.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that social isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the mental health of the general population in Ecuador. We identified potential risk and protective factors that could serve as a foundation from which to develop psychological strategies to safeguard the mental health of our population during the current pandemic.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic with serious consequences that have led to the implementation of unprecedented social isolation measures
Our findings suggest that social isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the mental health of the general population in Ecuador
We identified potential risk and protective factors that could serve as a foundation from which to develop psychological strategies to safeguard the mental health of our population during the current pandemic
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic with serious consequences that have led to the implementation of unprecedented social isolation measures. An estimate of 6700 people died in Guayaquil and Guayas province within the first 2 weeks of April This death toll was more than 6 times greater than the usual death toll of previous years (usually approximately 1,000 deaths) during the same period of time [4]. As the pandemic continued to deepen in poorly prepared developing countries, the situation in Ecuador became devastating. For this reason, the government adopted social isolation measures with strict mobility restrictions and the suspension of all nonessential face-to-face entertainment, academic, and work activities; the shocking number of deaths has earned Ecuador the title of “the emerging epicenter of COVID-19 in Latin America” from the international media [3, 4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
