Abstract
BackgroundThe pandemic of Corona Virus (COVID-19) hit India recently; and the associated uncertainty is increasingly testing psychological resilience of the masses. When the global focus has mostly been on testing, finding a cure and preventing transmission; people are going through a myriad of psychological problems in adjusting to the current lifestyles and fear of the disease. Since there is a severe dearth of researches on this issue, we decided to conduct an online survey to evaluate its psychological impact.MethodsFrom 26th to 29th March an online survey (FEEL-COVID) was conducted using principles of snowballing, and by invitation through text messages to participate. The survey collected data on socio-demographic and clinical variables related to COVID-19 (based on the current knowledge); along with measuring psychological impact with the help of Impact of Event–revised (IES-R) scale.ResultsThere were a total of 1106 responses from around 64 cities in the country. Out of these 453 responses had at least one item missing; and were excluded from the analysis. The mean age of the respondents was around 41 years with a male female ratio of 3:1 and around 22% respondents were health care professionals. Overall approximately one third of respondents had significant psychological impact (IES-R score > 24). Higher psychological impact was predicted with younger age, female gender and comorbid physical illness. Presence of physical symptoms and contact history predicted higher psychological impact, but did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionDuring the initial stages of COVID-19 in India, almost one-third respondents had a significant psychological impact. This indicates a need for more systematic and longitudinal assessment of psychological needs of the population, which can help the government in formulating holistic interventions for affected individuals.
Highlights
Corona is a single stranded RNA virus that had its roots into the world from almost 60 years since its discovery in late 1960s
[2] Earlier, the allied viruses of the same family like the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus SARS-CoV in 2003, Human corona virus HCoV NL63 in 2004 [3], HKU1 in 2005 [4], Middle east respiratory (MERS) in 2012, have shown their outbreaks and the novel version of this virus has presented a threat of unmatched severity
The first case of COVID-19 was reported on 1st February 2020 in India
Summary
Corona is a single stranded RNA virus that had its roots into the world from almost 60 years since its discovery in late 1960s. [2] Earlier, the allied viruses of the same family like the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus SARS-CoV in 2003, Human corona virus HCoV NL63 in 2004 [3], HKU1 in 2005 [4], Middle east respiratory (MERS) in 2012, have shown their outbreaks and the novel version of this virus has presented a threat of unmatched severity. [9] A study from China suggesting that more than half of the participants had a significant psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another recent study from Denmark reported psychological well-being as negatively affected. The pandemic of Corona Virus (COVID-19) hit India recently; and the associated uncertainty is increasingly testing psychological resilience of the masses. Since there is a severe dearth of researches on this issue, we decided to conduct an online survey to evaluate its psychological impact.
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