Predictors of psychological distress among the public in Oman amid coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a cross-sectional analytical study

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global, virulent pandemic disease that emerged in December 2019, with both short- and long-term psychological repercussions being inevitable. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress, defined by the presence of either depression or anxiety, among the public in Oman during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a web-based, cross-sectional study conducted using governmental and private institutional e-mail systems and social media platforms. Anxiety and depression were assessed using both the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent predictors. There were a total of 1538 participants in this study (75% female). The prevalence of psychological distress was 30%. Being female, having financial instability, being treated for mental illness and self-medication for coping with stress were independent predictors of psychological distress among the study sample (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.69, confidence interval [CI] = 1.24–2.29; OR = 2.05, CI = 1.54–2.74; OR = 5.35, CI = 3.50–8.18; OR = 7.23, CI = 3.06–17.09, respectively). The results from this study will help public health officials in Oman to plan for and mitigate psychological repercussions of the current and future pandemics.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• pandemic
• anxiety
• depression
• Oman

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the individuals who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

All authors declare no conflicts of interest concerning this article. This project was funded by The Research Council, Oman.

Author contributions statement

Study design: MA, HA, HA, and AA. Data collection, analysis and interpretation: TA, NA, AG, MA, RK, and AS. Drafting of the manuscript: HA, TA, NA, HA, RK, and AS. Critical revision of the manuscript: MA, HA, AG, AA, and HS. Approval of the final version for publication: all co-authors.

Ethics

This study was approved by the ethics committees of College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Research Council, Sultanate of Oman.