Psychological Distress in Quarantine Designated Facility During COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background

Quarantine is a useful measure for preventing and controlling pandemics; however, it might be stressful for quarantined individuals. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming. These emotions were reported for individuals in involuntary quarantine facilities dedicated to quarantine purposes.

Methods

This cross-sectional study surveyed the individuals in involuntary quarantine institutions (for a planned period of 14 days of quarantine) in two regions of Saudi Arabia. The mental health status of individuals was assessed using the Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21).

Results

The study surveyed 214 quarantined/isolated individuals. The stress, anxiety, and depression rates were 25.7%, 21.5%, and 32.7%, respectively. On the IES-R, 28.0% of the participants met the criteria for psychological distress. Female gender, self-reported history of psychiatric disorder, and average health status were significantly associated with negative psychological impact and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (p<0.05). Watching television was found to be a factor in reducing rates on the IES-R and DASS-21 scale while working out lowered rates on the IES-R alone (p<0.05).

Conclusion

During an institutional involuntary quarantine, additional attention should be paid to vulnerable groups like females and individuals with a history of psychiatric illness. More than one-fourth of our sample experienced a negative psychological impact; therefore, coping practices like working out should be encouraged. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion about the psychological aspects of being quarantined. Much work remains to be done to identify strategies that prevent and mitigate psychological distress throughout the quarantine experience and to determine whether these impacts will last for an extended period of time.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• anxiety
• IES
• depression
• knowledge
• quarantine
• psychological impact
• stress
• pandemic
• Saudi Arabia

Acknowledgments

We would like to extend our thanks to all respondents and participants. Researchers would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research, Qassim University, for funding publication of this project.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees and Moath Aljohani; Data curation, Moath Aljohani; Formal analysis, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees; Investigation, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees; Methodology, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees, Ali T. Alhabib, Mohammed A ALGHESEN and Moath Aljohani; Project administration, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees; Supervision, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees and Moath Aljohani; Writing – original draft, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees, Ali T. Alhabib, Mohammed A ALGHESEN and Moath Aljohani; Writing – review & editing, Abdulmajeed Alkhamees, Ali T. Alhabib, Mohammed A ALGHESEN and Moath Aljohani. All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; agreed to submit to the current journal; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.