Depression and Anxiety Among Quarantined People, Community Workers, Medical Staff, and General Population in the Early Stage of COVID-19 Epidemic

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology 2021-03, Vol.12, p.638985-638985
• Main Authors: Li, Xiaoling, Yu, Hegao, Yang, Weiqiang, Mo, Qihua, Yang, Zhanggui, Wen, Shuangshuang, Zhao, Fei, Zhao, Weishun, Tang, Yongyan, Ma, Liang, Zeng, Ruifen, Zou, Xia, Lin, Hanli
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anxiety; COVID-19; depression; epidemic information dissemination; Psychology; risk factors
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638985

We described the prevalence of anxiety and depression related to COVID-19 pandemic among different types of population and examined their potential risk factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect demographic characteristics, exposure histories, and many other concerns about COVID-19. The Zung's self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS), followed by a four-step multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with mental health outcomes. Out of 3,303 participants, the quarantined people (40.9%), community workstation staffs-policemen-volunteers (CPV) (36.4%) and general public (30.7%) reported higher percentages of depression than the general medical staff (18.4%). Moreover, the quarantined people (19.1%) also showed higher prevalence of anxiety than the general public (9.1%) and the general medical staff (7.8%). The quarantined people had the highest risk of anxiety and depression, whereas the self-rated health was negatively associated with the risks of anxiety and depression. Younger age group (18 to 30 years) showed higher risks of anxiety (OR = 6.22, 95% CI = 2.89-13.38, < 0.001) and depression (OR = 3.69, 95% CI = 2.40-5.69, < 0.001). People who had exposure history or contact from Hubei province after December 1, 2019 (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.07-2.30, < 0.001), had family or friends engaged in front-line health care work (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.02-2.14, < 0.001), had confirmed case nearby (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.43-4.18, < 0.001) were all more likely to suffer from anxiety. Moreover, the negligence (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.37-2.51, < 0.001) or overindulgence (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.03-2.04, < 0.001) toward the epidemic information was associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Our findings show that the CPV and quarantined people were most at-risk population. We have identified that the young people, people with exposure histories and negligence or overindulgence toward epidemic information are in grave need of attention.