Assessing the psychological condition among general people of Bangladesh during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has been termed as “coronaphobia” due to the overwhelming negative universal impact. The rapid transmission of the responsible novel coronavirus has compelled the situation worse day by day. Bangladesh is one of the hardest hit countries in this pandemic. This cross-sectional study intended to evaluate the psychological condition among general people of Bangladesh throughout the pandemic. The convenient and snowball sampling technique was applied to collect the responses through rapid online survey. The linear regression models were employed to demonstrate the association between DASS 21 subscales and responses. Respondents were observed with the prevalence of normal depression (38.68%) followed by moderate (21.41%) and severe depressions (16.82%). The prevalence of anxiety and stress among the participants was also normal and moderate. Students and female respondents were observed significantly higher risk of adverse mental health complications. Respondents who were confident and satisfied in their current living place and society were less likely to be affected by mental health complications during the pandemic. Respondents concerned about their earning and mental health were identified with more mental health complications. This study can pave the way for relevant organizations to respond to and prepare for ongoing and future pandemic.

KEYWORDS:

• Infectious disease
• COVID-19
• mental health
• developing settlement
• lockdown

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the experts for their valuable comments and suggestions. Authors would also like to mention the university students for their contribution during data collection.