The impact of COVID-19 news on the mental health of Bahrainis

Abstract

Abstract Background Panic, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues like social distress are reported to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related news may have a negative impact on the mental health of Bahrainis. This study assessed mental health impact of COVID-19 related news in Bahrain. Methods This was a was a cross-sectional study conducted in the four main governates in Bahrain. The questionnaires were prepared using google forms in English and Arabic. The participants were invited using social media. A total of 363 participants (67.5% females) completed the survey online. Results The participants from 18 to 25 years had a higher anxiety with 26.1% compared to only 8.6% of > 40 years. In addition, 75.4% of male participants reported suffering from normal to mild depression while only 9.3% of them suffered from severe depression. The study found that severe levels of depression were suffered by most participants when 40.6% reported that COVID-19 related news could be the reason for it. Most participants reported that anxiety was related to COVID-19 related news. Conclusion The study found that severe levels of depression were caused by news related to COVID-19. The study has also concluded that anxiety is related to COVID-19 news. Most participants believed that their daily activities were sometimes affected by their mental health whereas only a minority of them thought that they were not affected at all.