Investigation and analysis of entry personnel’s mental health status under COVID-2019 quarantine in Shanghai, China

Abstract

Abstract Background To investigate the mental health status and stress coping of quarantined personnel entering Shanghai from abroad, identify the key influencing factors, and provide suggestions for improving the mental health of COVID-19 quarantined personnel. Methods We surveyed quarantined individuals to collect general demographic data and COVID-19-related information of 327 entry personnel at the quarantine medical observation point. PHQ-9, GAD-7, and Cope scale (simplified version) were used to assess depression, anxiety, and individual stress coping. We analyzed the independent individual variables for their relationship with mental health outcomes. Results Among the entry quarantined personnel, we found that 27.8% scored positively for depression and 20.5% for anxiety. Depressive symptoms were more likely in individuals with pre-existing health conditions (p = 0.003), lack of medical insurance (p = 0.012), worry about the impact of the epidemic on their studies / work (p = 0.020), worry about the lack of daily necessities during quarantine (p = 0.005), and worry about being rejected or discriminated against by the outside world after quarantine (p = 0.002). Anxiety symptoms were more likely in those without medical insurance (p = 0.008) and those worried about being rejected or discriminated against by the outside world after quarantine (p = 0.010). In terms of stress coping, those with higher scores in "denial (disapproval of events) (p = 0.025, P = 0.041), guilt and self-blame (p = 0.001, p = 0.009)" were more likely to score higher for depression and anxiety. Conclusion Attention should be paid to the negative psychological reactions of the entry quarantined personnel, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, those without medical insurance, and students studying abroad who are at high risk of negative emotions. Timely mental health support should be provided. Accurate and effective epidemic dynamic information and preventive and control measures can be provided to the public through media publicity to prevent fear and stigma against quarantined personnel.