Study on Psycho-social Problems among COVID-19 Patients in Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 crisis leads to significant changes in routine life, loss of employment, financial crisis, living in isolation, and death of loved ones etc. that can create worry and stress among the people infected with COVID-19. The aim of the study is to estimate the burden of psycho-social problems among COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary care institute. A hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out among stable 450 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted in the COVID ward of Tertiary Care Institute, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India between August and September 2020. Materials and Methods: Participants with self-reported pre-existing mental illnesses were excluded. Psycho-social issues of the participants were studied through telephonic conversation using a predesigned questionnaire including DASS 21 scale. Chi-square test was used to test the association between categorical variables. Variables significant in univariate analysis were included for multivariate analysis. P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Based on DASS21 Scoring, 89 (20%) had depression, 190 (42%) were anxious and 53 (12%) were under stress. Patients aged more than 60 years, literate, with risk factors like diabetes mellitus and hypertension were more likely to have one or more psychological conditions. Conclusion: There is an increased prevalence of psychological morbidities among COVID-19 patients. It warrants the need for a combined action from health care professionals in the early identification of these psychological issues to prevent long term mental health issues among survivors.