Factors Associated with Symptoms of Depression and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Yuqi Guo,Fan Yang,Weidi Qin,Omar T Sims

doi:10.3390/bs11020013

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with symptoms of depression and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling were used to recruit a sample of adults in China (n = 2130) from 14 February 2020 to 3 March 2020 to complete an online survey. Linear regression was used to examine the predictors of symptoms of depression and psychological distress. Living in a non-urban area and the number of confirmed cases in their city of residence were positively associated with symptoms of depression. Female gender, not being married, practicing social distancing, the amount of time spent daily on social media searching for and reading information on COVID-19, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their city of residence, and having confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 in personal networks were positively associated with psychological distress. Social distancing is a widely used public health approach for population-wide virus-containment of COVID-19. However, reductions in population-wide psychological well-being are inadvertent consequences of social distancing. There is an emerging need to negate factors that increase adverse mental health vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China but rapidly spread throughout the world and emerged as a global pandemic [1]
Given the universality of the COVID-19 pandemic, this knowledge would be advantageous for mental health professionals in and outside of China who provide mental health care and treatment to those in clinical and public health settings. To fill these respective knowledge gaps, the objective of this study is to examine factors associated with symptoms of depression and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults living in China
This study examined the factors associated with symptoms of depression and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults living in China

Summary

Introduction

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China but rapidly spread throughout the world and emerged as a global pandemic [1]. As of 14 December 2020, China had 95,064 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4758 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 [2]. There were 71,051,805 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,608,648 confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 [2]. COVID-19 s R0 of 5.7 (i.e., the average number of people who will acquire an infection from one person with COVID-19) [3] has hastened the global pandemic, led to a massive international public health crisis, and hindered public health efforts to control the pandemic. Those infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms including but not limited to fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, and new loss of taste or smell [4]. Hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) are a few underlying medical conditions associated with elevated risks for COVID-19 disease severity and death [5,6]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion