Abstract

Vulnerability to Psychological Issue among the COVID-19 Quarantine in Manipur: A Preliminary Study

Objective: Quarantine is one of the essential intervention measures to curtail the further spread of infectious diseases especially in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, it has been adopted as an effective way as with earlier experiences like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. However, psychological issues among these individuals undergoing quarantine become more vulnerable as they have either been exposed or contacted with infected individuals. The study has been taken to understand the psychological issues and their different components among the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted through telephonic interviews among quarantine individuals before undertaking the COVID-19 RT-PCR (Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction) test. A total of 100 individuals (61 males and 39 females) aged above 18 years was participated in the study after taking consent. General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) is used to determine mental health. Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC) analysis is used to determine the main components leading to psychological problems among quarantine individuals. And spearman rank correlation was calculated to determine the correlation between a history of mental illness and psychological problems. Results: The rate of psychological issues among the individuals under quarantine is found to be 27%. Females (35.89) are found to be more affected than males (21.31). In ROC analysis of males, the Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, severe depression, and social dysfunction are found to be 0.925, 0.914, 0.682, and 0.421, respectively. Among females, the AUC value of somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, severe depression, and social dysfunction are found to be 0.856, 0.714, 0.493, and 0.701, respectively. Spearman rank correlation (r) is found to be 0.32. Conclusion: Females are more prone to psychological issues. Among the four subscales that lead to psychological issues, somatic symptoms and anxiety/insomnia are more accurately predictive. And there is a moderate correlation between the history of mental illness and psychological problems. The study has implied that the mental health aspect needs to be acknowledged in dealing with the pandemic with special regard to the people undergoing quarantine.

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