Abstract
Background The health and economic burden pandemic diseases significantly cause psychosocial problems. The outbreak of COVID-19 may differentially exacerbate anxiety and stress in people subjected to the real or perceived threat of the virus.
Method An online cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess the general population’s immediate psychological response during the initial state of the outbreak in Saudi Arabia. The study used brief screening tools PHQ-4 for anxiety-depression symptoms and IES-6 for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.
Results Among the 584 respondents, 19.8% and 22.0% reported moderate to severe anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. According to the combined PHQ-4 score, 14.5% of participants showed moderate to severe anxiety or depression disorder. 64.8% met the level of clinical concern for posttraumatic stress disorder, and 51.3% met the level of probable posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Multivariate analyses showed that females, non-Saudi nationalities, and those who had mental illness history were more vulnerable to anxiety and depression disorders than their counterparts, whereas a higher prevalence of distress symptoms was reported among those who prefer Arabic over English for communication. It was found that people whose colleagues or family infected with the disease were more likely to report moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety or depression and distress. The study further showed that the higher the perceived threat, the higher the chances of exhibiting anxiety-depressive disorder symptoms and distress symptoms.
Conclusion The findings are a matter for serious concern, and considerable attention is required from authorities and policymakers regarding early detection and treatment of these illnesses in order to reduce the burden of the pandemic related mental illness.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
The study has received a research grant from the Deanship of Scientific Research, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University.
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University(IRB approval number: IRB-2020-05-173).
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
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Data Availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.