Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic among adult patients at the adult patients of the Sanatorio Nuestra Señora de Rosario (IPAM) of the city of Rosario, Argentina - 2022

Abstract

Introduction: During the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19), people were subjected to a preventive and compulsory social isolation measure (ASPO) generating a negative impact on the physical, psychological and social state of the people. people. Objective: To describe the symptoms related to depression, anxiety and stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic perceived by adult patients of the Sanatorio Nuestra Señora de Rosario (IPAM) in Rosario during the ASPO period (March to November 2020). Materials and methods: Quantitative, descriptive observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study, carried out at the Sanatorio Nuestra Señora de Rosario, located at Sarmiento 3125, in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. The data collection instrument was a structured survey, applied online through google forms, self-administered, voluntary and anonymous. The variables analyzed were age, sex, COVID-19 diagnosis and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated. Similarly, in order to establish the relationship between age and sex and according to whether or not they had suffered Covid-19 with anxiety, depression and stress, inferential statistics were applied with the Chi-square test. Results: A total of 68 patients were surveyed, of whom 40 (59%) were female, 27 (40%) were male and 1 reported being of another sex. The mean age was 41.53 ± 14.1 years (min. 18; max. 73), the age group between 18 and 30 years constituted 44% of the population studied. Of these, 35 (51%) patients were not diagnosed with COVID-19 during the pandemic isolation period and 33 (49%) did have COVID-19. Fifty-four percent of patients had mild anxiety, 31% had moderate anxiety, and 15% had severe anxiety. Thirty-seven percent of patients had mild depression, 22% had minimal depression, 16% had moderate depression, 12% had moderately severe depression, 7% had severe depression, and 6% had no depression. Finally, 62% had low stress, 34% moderate stress and 4% high stress. No significant association was found between variables. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic caused some degree of anxiety and stress in all respondents and a similar incidence of depression, both in the population diagnosed with this disease and in those who did not suffer from it, being mainly affected women and the young population under 40 years of age