Abstract
BackgroundThe current (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) pandemic is still uncontrolled with associated dramatic changes in daily lifestyle activities. Evidence for studying the impact of these health behavior changes on our mental health is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological distresses and assess their influence by the change in the composite lifestyle behaviors before the COVID-19 pandemic till 16 weeks after the lockdown release in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted between October 10 and 31, 2020 by posting an online survey on social media platforms (WhatsApp and Twitter) to collect data on participants' sociodemographic, lifestyle behaviors, and mental health aspects using a validated Arabic version of the short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21).ResultsA total of 363 responded to the questionnaire. The mean age was 36.26 ± 8.54 years, and 238 (65.6%) were men. Depression, stress, and anxiety were reported in 37.5, 26.7, and 16.5% of the participants, respectively. Negative lifestyle behavioral changes were significantly associated with stress and anxiety (p < 0.05). Logistic regression revealed that financial distress and history of psychiatric illnesses were common significant factors for developing the psychological distresses.ConclusionThroughout the post-lockdown stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Saudi Arabia, there was an evidence of psychological distresses among the adults. Negative health-related changes are directly linked with increased psychological distress. Effective health promotion strategies directed toward adopting and maintaining positive change in the composite health behaviors are crucial.
Highlights
The new coronavirus was first spotted in November 2019 in Wuhan
We examined the impacts of COVID-19 on lifestyle behavior before the start of the crisis, and 16 weeks after the relaxation of the measures among different regions in Saudi Arabia and studied their reflective influence on the mental health
Obesity, as well as a history of chronic diseases positively increase the possibility of developing anxiety
Summary
The new coronavirus (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) was first spotted in November 2019 in Wuhan. A gradual increase of new cases (2,910 new cases) and deaths (147 new deaths) was reported in Saudi Arabia over this week [1]. On the second of March, Saudi Arabia confirmed [2] its first case of COVID-19, and a lot of government measures were taken to limit the virus dissemination starting from the closure of Mecca and Medina on 27 February 2020 till home quarantine, travel, and gatherings restrictions and school closures. The current (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) pandemic is still uncontrolled with associated dramatic changes in daily lifestyle activities. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of psychological distresses and assess their influence by the change in the composite lifestyle behaviors before the COVID-19 pandemic till 16 weeks after the lockdown release in Saudi Arabia
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