Prevalence of negative mental health status during COVID-19 pandemic among general population of seven Arab countries: A cross-sectional study of 28843 participants

• Published in: Indian journal of psychiatry 2023-01, Vol.65 (1), p.90-102
• Main Authors: Abdelsattar, Nada K, Alrawi, Aya Ghiath, Abdelraoof, Mohamed Ibrahim, Zaazouee, Mohamed S, Elsayed, Sarah Makram, Farhat, Abdullah M, El-Shafea, Mahmoud Abd, Abdeltawab, Ahmed K, Ali, Menna S, Madeeh, Alyaa K, Assar, Ahmed, Mohammed, Manar H, Abdullah, Eman A, Ragab, Khaled M, Abd-ElGawad, Mohamed, Elsherif, Mohamed, Rahim, Inas Abd El, Ebada, Mahmoud A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; arab; Chronic diseases; COVID-19; Cross-sectional studies; depression; Depression, Mental; general population; Kamal, Ahmad; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Original; Pandemics; Population studies; Social media; stress; Stress (Psychology); Surveys
• ISSN: 0019-5545; 1998-3794
• DOI: 10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_202_22

Previous studies documented a narrow scope of knowledge about the negative mental health status during the lockdown following the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Arab countries. We aimed to assess the association between negative mental health status and the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the different factors affecting mental health among the general population of seven Arab countries. This study is a multinational cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted online from June 11, 2020 to June 25, 2020. The depression, anxiety, and stress Scale 21 Items (DASS-21) and the Event scale-Revised Arabic version (IES-R-13) scales were used. Multiple linear regressions were performed to study the association between the scales' total scores with COVID-19 and demographic characteristics. A total of 28,843 participants from seven Arab countries were included. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of mental health disorders has significantly increased. A total of 19006 participants (66%) were affected by variable degrees of depression, 13,688 (47%) had anxiety, and 14,374 (50%) had stress ranging from mild to severe. Higher levels were associated with other factors, such as lower age, female gender, chronic disease, unemployed, fear of getting infected, and a history of psychiatric disorders. Our study findings show an increased incidence of mental disorders during the pandemic. This is expected to play a crucial role in guiding a psychological support strategy provided by healthcare systems to the general public during pandemics.