Journals › Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry
Psychiatric morbidity among COVID-19 positive persons in Central Province, Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study
Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry 13(2): 27–35 · 2022
https://doi.org/10.4038/sljpsyc.v13i2.8375
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been reported to affect the physical and mental well-being of individuals due to its pathophysiology and associated strict control measures. Aims: To explore the psychological morbidity and associated factors among the recently diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among residents of the intermediate care centres (ICC) for COVID-19 infected patients in the Central Province, Sri Lanka from 06/05/2021 to 04/08/2021. The participants completed a questionnaire on sociodemographic details and were screened for symptoms of depression and anxiety using the Patient Health Questionnaire- 9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Results: Of the 419 participants, 18.6% and 11.2% met cutoffs for depression and anxiety respectively. None of the participants reported self-harm following the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, but 4.5% reported having experienced suicidal ideas. On bivariate analysis, female sex (P=0.002), being older than 35 years (P=0.04) and the presence of non-communicable diseases in the participant (P=0.04) were significantly associated with symptoms of depression. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that a proportion of people diagnosed with acute COVID-19 infection experience psychological symptoms. This indicates the need for increased awareness about mental health issues associated with COVID-19 and the provision of appropriate psychological support for individuals at risk.
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