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Comparison of demographic profile and psychological problems related to coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak among the general public (18 years and above) in a Northern State of India: A web-based cross-sectional survey
Jaison Joseph1, Bharat Pareek2, Sandeep Grover3, Sunita Sharma4, Biji P Varkey5, Tamanna Sehrawat1, Sarita Kumari1, Seema Parjapat1, Sapna Saini1
1 Department of Psychiatric Nursing, College of Nursing, Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India
2 Vice-Principal, Saraswati Nursing Institute, Kurali, Punjab, India
3 Department of Psychiatry, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
4 Department of Psychiatric Nursing, National Institute of Nursing Education, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
5 Department of Neurology, Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences, PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India
Correspondence Address:
Jaison Joseph
College of Nursing, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak - 124 001, Haryana
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jmhhb.jmhhb_17_21
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Background: The psychological impact of the general public during a pandemic is complex and incompletely understood. There is a dearth of studies reporting the psychological problems in the general public during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis in India, including a comparison as per demographic profile. Materials and Methods: An online survey was conducted from April 17, to May 1, 2020 using the principles of the snowball recruiting technique. The psychological problems of the potential study subjects were evaluated using the Hindi version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) scale. There were a total of 1826 responses, out of which 391 were excluded from the analysis. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 41.95 years (Median = 50, SD = 19.05, range: 18–86 years) and around 45% of respondents were with an age range of 18–39 years. The mean and standard deviation of the PHQ-4 was 1.81 (2.34), and the overall prevalence of psychological problems was 30% as per the cutoff of PHQ-4. The estimates of anxiety and depression among study subjects were 11% (158/1435) and 16.1% (232/1435), respectively. Younger age, female gender, unmarried, and rural residential status were significantly associated with increased psychological problems in this setting. Conclusion: The psychological response to the COVID-19 varies with sociodemographic status, and about one-third of the people reported having psychological problems in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in this setting. There is a need to expand the mental health services to each stratum of the society with a focus to provide personalized care as per the sociodemographic profile.
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