STUDENT CORNER

Pandemic 2020 Covid-19 Takes a Toll on Mental Health Causing Anxiety and Depression in People From the General Population

Syeda Kisa Fatima Zaidi
Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Adeel Alam
Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Aisha Aziz
Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Usman Amin
Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore
Asma Kazi
Rashid Latif Medical College, Lahore

✉ Correspondence: Syeda Kisa Fatima Zaidi Email: kisazaidi23@icloud.com

DOI https://doi.org/10.70302/jpsim.v2i2.2139
Volume: 2, Issue 2 Pages: 157–162 Published: 17 Jun 2021
Received: 08 Jan 2021 Accepted: 19 Apr 2021 Published Online: 17 Jun 2021

Abstract

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression in general population due to the spread of covid-19
pandemic. The study was conducted to find differences in the level of mental distress demographically as well as finding
the prevalence among the health care providers and those with chronic medical illnesses.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional was carried out via an online survey created through google forms which was
circulated through social media apps & websites because of better access to people between 1st – 9th of April 2020.
Demographic information and individual responses were obtained through 25 statements each describing an emotion
incorporating “Hopkins Scale for anxiety & depression” (with URDU translation). Confidentiality was assured so each
question could be answered freely. Chi square statistic test and Z score were applied by taking p <0.05.

Results

Among total of 1336 responses, 80.5% of the data was from people living in Pakistan & the rest from all around
the globe. Anxiety was found in 71.4% respondents where 71.4% were females and 28.6% were males. Depression was
found in 79.9% in which 30.1% were males and 69.9% were females (p value <0.00001). Among the anxious population
39.8% were married where as 60.2% were unmarried. Similarly 39.3% of the depressed people were married and 61.0%
were unmarried. Among the male and female gender mental distress was more dominating among the females (n=890) as
compared to the males (n=446). It was found out that 44.9% of people with anxiety due to the outbreak and 47.4% with
depression did not have any family history of depression/anxiety or psychiatric illness while 48.2% of people with anxiety
& 49.9% of people with depression did not have any personal history of depression/anxiety or psychiatric illness.
Highest numbers of responses were from the age group of 10-20 years. It was seen that both anxiety and depression were
higher among the younger age group (78.4% & 87.4%) whereas much less in the elderly, 60-70 years (47.2% & 58.3%).
It was observed that anxiety in people with respiratory illnesses was 1.3 times more as compared to those who did not have
any respiratory illness. Similarly depression was 1.2 times more common in people respiratory diseases.
Out of 222 health care provider responses, 67.1% of them were reported to have anxiety while 77.9% of them had
depression. (Anxiety: value of z is 3.49211. Pis 0.00024. Depression: value of z is-2.255. Pis 0.01191)

Conclusion

Anxiety & depression were more prevalent among the younger age group, females, unemployed and
unmarried populations. People with respiratory illnesses suffered greater degree of mental distress due to covid pandemic
as compared to those who did not have any respiratory issue. More than half of the health care providers suffered
considerably from anxiety and depression hearing about the spread of covid-19 outbreak.

Keywords
Anxiety Depression Covid-19 Pandemic Hopkins Scale for Anxiety and Depression Health care providers

How to Cite This Article

Zaidi SKF, Alam A, Aziz A, Amin U, Kazi A. Pandemic 2020 Covid-19 Takes a Toll on Mental Health Causing Anxiety and Depression in People From the General Population. J Pak Soc Intern Med. 2021;2(2):157–162. doi:10.70302/jpsim.v2i2.2139

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Conflict of Interest

All authors declare no competing interests.

Disclosed in accordance with ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

Funding

No specific funding was received for this research.

Funder information follows the Crossref Funder Registry standard.

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CC BY CC BY 4.0 This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. May be shared and adapted with attribution. © 2021 Journal of Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine.
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