| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 26
| Issue : 1 | Page : 49-53 |
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A study of mental health status in relatives of COVID-19 inpatients in a tertiary care hospital
Minakshi Nimesh Parikh1, Kartik Srinivasa Valipay1, Mehul Brahmbhatt1, Pragna Sorani1, Vrunda Ashok Patel1, Kesha Khetani1, Nirav Patel1, Harvee Shah1, Aatman Nimesh Parikh2
1 Department of Psychiatry, BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
2 Department of Psychiatry, GCS Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Correspondence Address:
Minakshi Nimesh Parikh
Department of Psychiatry, G-3 ward, Civil Hospital, Asarwa, Ahmedabad - 380 016, Gujarat
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jmhhb.jmhhb_184_20
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Introduction: The global scale of COVID-19 has been enormous, with the disease affecting 20 million people worldwide and resulting in 751,154 deaths by August 14, 2020. An increase in mental health problems is expected with an event of such scale, given past experience with epidemics such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola, among various vulnerable populations. One such population may be the family members of patients affected with COVID-19. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Five hundred and forty-one relatives of patients admitted in the COVID-19 wing of a tertiary care hospital were studied. Sociodemographic details were recorded and a Gujarati version of General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) was applied. A total score of ≥4 on GHQ-28 was considered indicative of “caseness” or psychiatric morbidity and the population was divided into two groups based on whether the score was <4 or ≥4. The groups were analyzed for any differences with respect to variables like age, gender. Conclusion: 5.17% of the study population had a GHQ-28 total score of ≥4 indicative of “psychiatric morbidity.” The most common symptoms were fatigue, stress, sleep disturbance, and anxiety. Male gender and advanced age were statistically significantly more likely to have a GHQ-28 total score ≥4.
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