Depression, Anxiety and Stress among General Public during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly influenced public mental well-being. The reason for this study is to inquire about the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in common public amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This descriptive and a cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2020 to July 2020 in Islamabad, Pakistan. Total 300 (Male = 157 & Female = 143) (M age 30.96 ±11.456 years) individuals participated in the study. Apart from obtaining consent and basic demographic data, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to investigate the variables of the study. Descriptive statistics, t test, and one-way ANOVA was used for data analysis on SPSS (v-23). The incidence of depression, anxiety and stress were markedly high among general public. Result indicated no depression 10.3%, mild depression 7.3%, moderate depression 14.3%, severe depression 17.3% and extremely severe depression 58.8%; No anxiety 8.7%, mild anxiety 4.7%, moderate anxiety 9.3%, severe anxiety 13.0% and extremely severe anxiety 64.3% and no stress 19.0%, mild stress 9.7%, moderate stress 15.7%, severe stress 34.0% and extremely severe stress 21.6% in the general public. Further result revealed significant gender, family structure and socioeconomic status difference in depression, anxiety and stress (p<0.01). It was concluded that COVID-19 caused a number of mental wellbeing disorders in people of all communities. Subsequently, it is imperative to secure the mental wellbeing of mankind and to devise constructive methods that can improve the mental wellbeing of vulnerable groups at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.