The psychological impact of coronavirus disease ۲۰۱۹ pandemic in the Iranian population: a cross-sectional study

Background: Coronavirus disease ۲۰۱۹ (COVID-۱۹) outbreak was first detected in China and has since become a global threat and has affected many countries. The pandemic has had various detrimental effects on the social and psychological aspects of society.Objective: This study is aimed at investigating the aforementioned psychological impacts and determining the level of anxiety, depression, and stress in the Iranian population during the new coronavirus crisis.Methods: This study was conducted through the means of an online survey designed using the simple random sampling technique. A total of ۱۰۹۱ completed online surveys were gathered from May ۱۰-May ۱۸, ۲۰۲۰. Target group included all members of the Iranian population. The online survey collected data on demographic, physical symptoms, contact history with COVID-۱۹, information and attitude about COVID-۱۹, and precautions and protection measures against COVID-۱۹. Psychological impacts were evaluated by the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R), and mental health status by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-۲۱).Results: The assessments indicate that ۴۷.۷% of the respondents demonstrated moderate to severe psychological impacts caused by the COVID-۱۹ pandemic. Of the above percentage, ۲۸.۳%, ۲۴%, and ۲۲.۳% of the subjects suffered from moderate to severe depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms respectively. According to observations, being female, decrease in or cessation of income, having chronic, non-communicable diseases, difficulty in breathing, headache, myalgia, and sore throat were associated with more deleterious psychological impacts and higher DASS-۲۱ subscales scores. In comparison with those more confident in the physician' performance, those who felt unwell or had consulted a physician two weeks prior to the exhibited more psychological burden.Conclusion: About a quarter of the participants reported moderate to high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and half of the participants showed moderate to severe psychological impacts. This study identifies vulnerable individuals during a pandemic and evaluates the psychological impacts of Covid-۱۹ in the general population, which can help determine appropriate interventions to control the psychological consequences of an outbreak.

کلیدواژه ها:

Covid-۱۹ ، psychological impact ، stress ، anxiety ، depression