Prevalence of depression and anxiety among general population in Pakistan during COVID-19 lockdown: An online-surveyShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Current Psychology, ISSN 1046-1310, E-ISSN 1936-4733, Vol. 43, no 9, p. 8338-8345Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
00. Sustainable Development, 3. Good health and well-being, 17. Partnerships for the goals
Abstract [en]
The present study's aim is to find the prevalence of two of the common indicators of mental health - depression and anxiety – and any correlation with socio-demographic indicators in the Pakistani population during the lockdown from 5 May to 25 July 2020. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire sent to volunteer participants. A total of 1047 participants over 18 were recruited through convenience sampling. The survey targeted depression and anxiety levels, which were measured using a 14 item self-reporting Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Out of the total sample population (N=354), 39.9% suffered from depression and 57.7% from anxiety. Binary logistical regressions indicated significant predictive associations of gender (OR=1.410), education (OR=9.311), residence (OR=0.370), household income (OR=0.579), previous psychiatric problems (OR=1.671), and previous psychiatric medication (OR=2.641). These were the key factors e associated with a significant increase in depression. Increases in anxiety levels were significantly linked to gender (OR=2.427), residence (OR=0.619), previous psychiatric problems (OR=1.166), and previous psychiatric medication (OR=7.330). These results suggest depression and anxiety were prevalent among the Pakistani population during the lockdown. Along with other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, citizens' mental health needs the Pakistani government's urgent attention as well as that of mental health experts. Further large-scale, such as healthcare practitioners, should be undertaken to identify other mental health indicators that need to be monitored.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2024. Vol. 43, no 9, p. 8338-8345
Keywords [en]
Anxiety, COVID-19, Cross-sectional design, Depression, Gender, General population, Mental health
National Category
Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-55967DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-02815-7ISI: 000752823900004PubMedID: 35194356Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85124377421Local ID: HOA;intsam;798130OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-55967DiVA, id: diva2:1641608
2022-03-022022-03-022025-10-13Bibliographically approved