Abstract

Prevalence of Anxiety, Depression and Self-Care Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the General Population

SARS-CoV-2 has affected not only physical health but also devastated mental wellbeing. The government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown limiting movement of the entire 1.3 billion populations. The impact of the pandemic on depression, anxiety, and self-care behavior among the general population was investigated. An online cross-sectional survey was carried out with an anonymous questionnaire using validated instruments. Multivariable linear regression analysis was carried out to find the role of each variable in determining the relevant scores. The mean age of the 1052 participants was 30.52 (SD ± 13.42) years. The mean score of depression and anxiety was 5.96 and 5.27 respectively. Moderate to severe depression was noted among 18.68% and moderate to severe anxiety was noted among 16.1% of the respondents. Gender was a significant predictor of all three scores, while the civil status predicted both depression and anxiety scores and age predicted only the depression score.

• PDF