Anxiety and depression among COVID-19 survivors: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Middle East current psychiatry (Cairo) 2023-12, Vol.30 (1), p.78-10, Article 78
• Main Authors: Abulsaad, Aya Mazen, Sonbol, Hassan Mohammed, Elwasify, Mahmoud Ahmed, Elboraie, Osama Ahmed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Chronic illnesses; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 survivors; Cross-sectional studies; Depression; Education; Epidemics; Infections; Insomnia; Medical records; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental depression; Mental health; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Pandemics; Patients; Pessimism; Professionals; Psychiatry; Questionnaires; Respiratory diseases; Secondary education; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Social isolation; Sociodemographics; Viral infections
• ISSN: 2090-5416; 2090-5408; 2090-5416
• DOI: 10.1186/s43045-023-00351-z

Background The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has spread globally and resulted in physical suffering in addition to its negative effects on mental health. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns about health, finances, employment, and social isolation all played a role in contributing to its effect on mental health. In this study, we aimed mainly to evaluate depression and anxiety among post-COVID-19 survivors in Egyptian population. Results In this study, 150 post-COVID-19 patients were included. The age range was 51.01 years ± 12.6. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were 65.3% and 36% in the COVID-19 patients 1 month after recovery. Female gender and isolation for more than 15 days are significant risk factors for depression, while age less than 50 years old, urban residence, and worry about getting infected again are significant risk factors for anxiety. Conclusions Based on the results, we found that COVID-19 recovered patients had a high rate of depression and anxiety. In addition to the emphasis on infection and respiratory symptoms, we need to pay more attention to post-COVID-19 psychiatric symptoms.