Abstract
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Kuwait led to a nationwide curfew between 22 March and August 2020. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 curfew during the pandemic on Kuwaiti citizens and residents. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from Kuwaiti residents over the age of 21 through an online questionnaire shared via social media, including WhatsApp and Facebook. Data collection occurred between 18 June and 15 July 2020. Data from 679 respondents (57.9% females and 42.1% males; 67.7% Kuwaiti nationals and 32.3% non-Kuwaiti nationals) were analyzed. Symptoms of depression were reported among 59.8% of females and 51.0% of males, and extremely severe depression among 20.4% of females and 13.6% of males. Approximately 42.0% of females and 37.8% of males were under psychological distress, with 15.1% of females and 9.1% of males experiencing severe or extremely severe psychological distress. Over a third of females (34.9%) reported experiencing tensions or violent behaviors from family members, and 22.1% reported verbal or physical abuse. Among males, 26.4% reported experiencing tensions or violent behaviors, and 12.2% reported verbal or physical abuse. Extremely severe depression was associated with being female (2.00 times), aged 21–29 (4.56 times), experiencing tensions or violent behaviors from family members (4.56 times), being physically inactive (1.64 times), smoking cigarettes (3.02 times), and having poor or very poor quality of sleep (1.75 times). Severe or extremely severe psychological distress was associated with being female (3.09 times), aged 21–49 (3.68 times), having ill-health conditions or diseases (1.83 times), experiencing tension or violent behaviors from family members (3.56 times), smoking cigarettes (3.06 times), and having poor or very poor quality of sleep (2.20 times). Findings indicate that people living in Kuwait experienced negative psychological impacts, such as depression and psychological distress, attributable to the pandemic-related restrictions. Unpartnered females aged 21–49 are more mentally vulnerable than partnered males over the age of 50. Findings support an urgent need for targeted interventions to improve health behaviors and social support, including coping mechanisms specific to COVID-19 related stress, family counseling systems, and the provision of accessible and acceptable services using telehealth.
Highlights
After the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 began to spread rapidly to many countries [1]
The State of Kuwait has faced profound public health challenges resulting from the direct impact of the pandemic, such as mortality and morbidity, and the impact of pandemic-related restrictions such as the curfew imposed between 22 March 2020 to 30 August 2020 that disrupted usual life patterns [3]
These risk factors pose a significant threat to the public currently and have the potential to persist in the long run with severe public health ramifications
Summary
After the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 began to spread rapidly to many countries [1]. 2020, the outbreak escalated to a public health emergency of international concern and was declared a pandemic in March 2020 [2]. The State of Kuwait has faced profound public health challenges resulting from the direct impact of the pandemic, such as mortality and morbidity, and the impact of pandemic-related restrictions such as the curfew imposed between 22 March 2020 to 30 August 2020 that disrupted usual life patterns [3]. The. COVID-19 curfew limited movements of all persons except individuals who required medical or emergency care and frontline workers with special permissions. COVID-19 curfew limited movements of all persons except individuals who required medical or emergency care and frontline workers with special permissions During this period, most workplace organizations, public and private, as well as educational institutions transitioned into working from home virtually. COVID-19 has a wide-ranging adverse impact on the health behaviors of Kuwaiti citizens and residents [4]
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