Abstract
BackgroundThe psychological burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and lockdown strategy among young people not diagnosed with COVID-19 in the general population remains unknown and often have been overlooked. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, depression and stress among young people diagnosed with COVID-19 of Bangladesh amidst the pandemic. MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 1 May to 30 May 2020 using an online Google form-based questionnaire posted on Facebook. A snowball sampling approach was used for data collection. A total of 974 self-declared healthy individuals not diagnosed with COVID-19 participated here. Anxiety, depression and stress were measured using Bangla validated Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), respectively. Statistical software SPSS 20 was used for analysis. ResultAverage age of the population was 25.86 ± 6.26 (SD) years with nearly half (48.6%) of them being young people (15 to ≤24 years). Most of the participants were male (76.3%). The overall prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress was found to be 64.1%, 73.3% and 69.4%, respectively. Young people had significantly higher proportion of anxiety (67.2% vs 61.1%), and depression (78.2% vs 68.7%) compared to adults (p = 0.045 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, most of the participants had mild depression (30.3%), minimal anxiety (31.4%), and moderate stress (67.5%), and severity of depression and anxiety was higher in the young participants. The mean GAD-7, PHQ-9 and PSS scores were 7.57 ± 5.61, 9.19 ± 6.15 and 16.02 ± 5.55 (SD), respectively. On multivariable logistic analysis, unemployment (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 3.642; Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.005–13.200; p < 0.05) was the single most important predictor of depression. For stress, unemployment (AOR 1.399; CI: 1.055–1.855), and female sex (AOR 1.638; CI: 1.158–2.317) were significant predictors. ConclusionAnxiety, depression and stress were highly prevalent among young people (≤24 years) not diagnosed with COVID-19 in Bangladesh amidst the pandemic. Unemployment is the most common underlying determinant. Authorities should address the issue on a priority basis.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan city, China, in December 2019 [1] and spread quickly to other countries [2]
Considering the relevance of all the above factors, the objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, depression and stress among the young adults not diagnosed with COVID-19 in Bangladesh amidst the pandemic
We found that 64.1% of the participants had anxiety, 73.3% had depression and 69.4% had stress
Summary
Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) originated in Wuhan city, China, in December 2019 [1] and spread quickly to other countries [2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30th January 2020 and announced it as a pandemic on 11th March [2, 3] By this time, the health sector of almost all countries activated themselves with their highest level of capacity. The psychological burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and lockdown strategy among young people not diagnosed with COVID-19 in the general population remains unknown and often have been overlooked. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of anxiety, depression and stress among young people diagnosed with COVID-19 of Bangladesh amidst the pandemic. Conclusion: Anxiety, depression and stress were highly prevalent among young people ( 24 years) not diagnosed with COVID-19 in Bangladesh amidst the pandemic.
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