Vulnerability to Mental Health Problems in Indian Population during Lockdown amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: An Alarm not to Snooze
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2023.v35i01.020Keywords:
Humans, Male, Female, Patient Health Questionnaire, Cross-Sectional Studies, Pandemics, Depression, Private Sector, COVID-19, Anxiety, SARS-CoV-2, Surveys and QuestionnairesAbstract
Background: Lockdown measures are being implemented in several parts of the world to control the spread of novel coronavirus. This unprecedented crisis has significantly affected the lives of people in different ways.
Aim: To understand the experiences and vulnerability to mental health problems during lockdown among the Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey form circulated through various social media platforms from April 12 to May 3, 2020 containing self-reported questionnaires to collect lockdown related experiences and scales to assess anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9). A convenience sampling method was used.
Results: 442 valid responses were received from different states of India. Statistical analysis revealed that one-third of the respondents suffered from some form of anxiety and depression during a lockdown. Less than 10% of them had severe levels of symptoms. The majority were males aged 18-45 years and private sector employees. Delivering essential services was involved with significant anxiety and depression. Availability of food and daily essentials was the most common problem. Difficulty in availing medicines and financial crisis were significant predictors of anxiety and depression. Worsening of interpersonal relationships was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Conclusions: The study concluded that experiences during the lockdown and associated psychological outcomes are important factors to consider and appropriate preventive measures to be taken in case of any future lockdowns.
Downloads
References
Chan JF-W, Yuan S, Kok K-H, To KK-W, Chu H, Yang J, et al. A familial cluster of pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating person-to-person transmission: a study of a family cluster. The Lancet 2020 Feb;395(10223):514–23.
World Health Organization.[home page on the Internet]. Novel Coronavirus Global Research and Innovation Forum: Towards a Research Roadmap. 2019. cited 2020 Jun 07.Availablefrom:https://www.who.int/blueprint/priority-diseases/key action/Overview_of_SoA_and_outline_key_ knowledge_gaps.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization.[home page on the Internet]. WHO Timeline - COVID-19. 2020. cited 2020 May 14. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19
Pulla P. Covid-19: India imposes lockdown for 21 days and cases rise. BMJ. 2020 Mar 26;m1251.
MOHFW. [home page on the Internet]. Guidelines for containment of Covid 19 in the country. 2020.cited2020 May 14. Available from: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/ Annexure_MHA.pdf.
Dubey S, Biswas P, Ghosh R, Chatterjee S, Dubey MJ, Chatterjee S, et al. Psychosocial impact of COVID-19. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2020;14(5):779–88.
Brooks SK, Webster RK, Smith LE, Woodland L, Wessely S, Greenberg N, et al. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet 2020;395(10227):912–20.
Schneiderman N, Ironson G, Siegel SD. Stress and health: psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2005;1:607–28.
HUB Johns Hopkins University. [home page on the Internet] Managing and understanding mental health concerns during Covid 19 Pandemic.2020.cited 2020 May 17. Available from: https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/04/06/dani-fallin-mental-health-challenges-coronavirus/
Elfil M, Negida A. Sampling methods in Clinical Research; an Educational Review. Emerg (Tehran) 2017;5(1):e52.
Hiremath P, Suhas Kowshik CS, Manjunath M, Shettar M. COVID 19: Impact of lock-down on mental health and tips to overcome. Asian J Psychiatr 2020;51:102088.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JBW. The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med 2001;16(9):606–13.
Löwe B, Decker O, Müller S, Brähler E, Schellberg D, Herzog W, et al. Validation and Standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the General Population. Med Care 2008;46(3):266–74.
Berrio A, Gartner V, Wray GA. Positive selection within the genomes of SARS-CoV-2 and other Coronaviruses independent of impact on protein function. PeerJ 2020;8:e10234.
Grover S, Sahoo S, Mehra A, Avasthi A, Tripathi A, Subramanyan A, et al. Psychological impact of COVID?19 lockdown: An online survey from India. Indian J Psychiatry 2020;62:354-62.
Cellini N, Canale N, Mioni G, Costa S.Changes in sleep pattern, sense of time and digital media use during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. J Sleep Res 2020;00:e13074.
Office of National Statistics UK.[home page on the Internet] Personal and economic well-being inGreatBritain.2020. cited2020Jun02Availablefrom:https://www.ons.gov.uk/ releases/personalandeconomicwellbeingintheukapril2020.
L’Angiocola PD, Monti M. COVID-19: the critical balance between appropriate governmental restrictions and expected economic, psychological and social consequences in Italy. Are we going in the right direction? Acta Bio Medica Atenei Parmensis 2020;91(2):35–8.
Sahu D, Agrawal T, Rathod V, Bagaria V. Impact of COVID 19 lockdown on orthopaedic surgeons in India: A survey. J Clin Orthop Trauma 2020;11(3):283-290.
Hao F, Tan W, Jiang L, Zhang L, Zhao X, Zou Y, et al. Do psychiatric patients experience more psychiatric symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown? A case-control study with service and research implications for immunopsychiatry. Brain Behav Immun 2020;87:100-106.
Matias T, Dominski FH, Marks DF. Human needs in COVID-19 isolation. J Health Psychol 2020;25(7):871–82.
Lazzerini M, Putoto G. COVID-19 in Italy: momentous decisions and many uncertainties. Lancet Glob Health 2020;8(5):e641-e642.
Király O, Potenza MN, Stein DJ, King DL, Hodgins DC, Saunders JB et al. Preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic: Consensus guidance. Compr Psychiatry 2020;100:152180.
Bradbury-Jones C, Isham L. The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID-19 on domestic violence. J Clin Nurs 2020;29(13-14):2047-2049.
Perez-Brumer A, Silva-Santisteban A. COVID-19 Policies can Perpetuate Violence Against Transgender Communities: Insights from Peru. AIDS Behav 2020;1-3.
Murthy RS. National Mental Health Survey of India 2015-2016. Indian J Psychiatry 2017;59(1):21-26.
Rehman U, Shahnawaz MG, Khan NH, et al. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Among Indians in Times of Covid-19 Lockdown. Community Ment Health J 2021;57(1):42-48.
Kochhar AS, Bhasin R, Kochhar GK, et al. Lockdown of 1.3 billion people in India during Covid-19 pandemic: A survey of its impact on mental health. Asian J Psychiatr 2020;54:102213.
Gogoi AJ, Sarmah C. COVID-19 and Lockdown: Impact on Mental Health Among the Residents of Assam, India. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health 2020;32(8):456-457.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Manoj Prithviraj, preeti bala singh, Richa tripathi, Pradip Kharya, Aarti Singh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
