Abstract

ABSTRACT.Over a span of 1 year, with millions infected, COVID-19 has spread to every part of the world and now poses a health threat to each and every one of us. The outbreak has consequently resulted in multiple health problems such as stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, insomnia, panic, and denial globally. Several factors have contributed to this rising number of psychiatric consults all over the world. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Pakistani population during the second wave of the pandemic in this region. We conducted an online web-based cross-sectional survey comprising 500 participants. The questionnaire assessed the demographic information, attitude, and knowledge concerning COVID-19 outbreak in addition to generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) utilizing the GAD-7 scale and depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiology Scale for Depression (CES-D) scale. The response rate of the study was 90.9%. The results of the survey indicated a prevalence of 25.4% of GAD, and 18.8% of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, nearly 34.8% of participants feared contracting COVID-19, 62.8% obtained constant critical updates regarding COVID-19, while 17.6% did not understand the knowledge regarding COVID-19. In the multivariate regression models, GAD was significantly associated with gender, age, and checking constantly of critical updates regarding COVID-19. Similarly, participants under 30 years had a higher risk of developing depressive symptoms than those above (> 30 years). Lastly, participants with no formal education were also found to be more prone to developing depression. We identified a potential threat to mental health during the pandemic.

Highlights

  • COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered strain of coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)

  • Our study showed a high prevalence of depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms among Pakistani adults during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak

  • We identified a potential threat to mental health among Pakistani adults during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

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Summary

Introduction

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered strain of coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case of SARS-CoV-2 was seen in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and since as a result of its highly infectious nature and rapid human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets, the number of COVID-19 cases have spread globally at an alarming rate, causing it to be declared as a pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020.1 Current data states that it has caused more than 771,000 deaths globally, while nearly 21 million cases have been confirmed in at least 215 countries and territories.

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