The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis
Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges including financial burdens that may result in mental health conditions. This study was undertaken to gauge mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and gain an insight into wage earners' mental health.Metho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635884/full |
| _version_ | 1818362895962996736 |
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| author | Mst. Sadia Sultana Abid Hasan Khan Sahadat Hossain Sahadat Hossain Tauhidul Islam M. Tasdik Hasan M. Tasdik Hasan Helal Uddin Ahmed Zezhi Li Jahangir A. M. Khan |
| author_facet | Mst. Sadia Sultana Abid Hasan Khan Sahadat Hossain Sahadat Hossain Tauhidul Islam M. Tasdik Hasan M. Tasdik Hasan Helal Uddin Ahmed Zezhi Li Jahangir A. M. Khan |
| author_sort | Mst. Sadia Sultana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges including financial burdens that may result in mental health conditions. This study was undertaken to gauge mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and gain an insight into wage earners' mental health.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey. A t total of 707 individual Bangladeshi wage earners were enrolled between 20 and 30 May 2020. The questionnaire had sections on sociodemographic information, COVID-19 related questions, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. STATA version 14.1 program was used to carry out all the analyses.Results: The study revealed that 58.6 and 55.9% of the respondents had moderate to severe anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. The total monthly income was <30,000 BDT (353.73USD) and displayed increased odds of suffering from depressive symptoms (OR = 4.12; 95% CI: 2.68–6.34) and anxiety (OR = 3.31; 95% CI: 2.17–5.03). Participants who did not receive salary income, had no income source during the pandemic, had financial problems, and inadequate food supply and were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.01). Perceiving the upcoming financial crisis as a stressor was a potential risk factor for anxiety (OR = 1.91; 95% CI:1.32–2.77) and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.50; 95% CI:1.04–2.16).Limitations: The online survey method used in this study limits the generalizability of the findings and self-reported answers might include selection and social desirability bias as a community-based survey was not possible during the pandemic.Conclusion: Wage earners in a low resource setting like Bangladesh require mental health attention and financial consideration to deal with mental health difficulties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:39:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ef5a93fbdb44710b72aa82c7de5ca20 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:39:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ef5a93fbdb44710b72aa82c7de5ca202022-12-21T23:30:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402021-09-011210.3389/fpsyt.2021.635884635884The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional AnalysisMst. Sadia Sultana0Abid Hasan Khan1Sahadat Hossain2Sahadat Hossain3Tauhidul Islam4M. Tasdik Hasan5M. Tasdik Hasan6Helal Uddin Ahmed7Zezhi Li8Jahangir A. M. Khan9Department of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, BangladeshPublic Health Foundation, Dhaka, BangladeshFaculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, BangladeshPublic Health Foundation, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United KingdomNational Institute of Mental Health, Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, ChinaHealth Economics and Policy Unit, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SwedenBackground: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created several challenges including financial burdens that may result in mental health conditions. This study was undertaken to gauge mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and gain an insight into wage earners' mental health.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey. A t total of 707 individual Bangladeshi wage earners were enrolled between 20 and 30 May 2020. The questionnaire had sections on sociodemographic information, COVID-19 related questions, PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. STATA version 14.1 program was used to carry out all the analyses.Results: The study revealed that 58.6 and 55.9% of the respondents had moderate to severe anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. The total monthly income was <30,000 BDT (353.73USD) and displayed increased odds of suffering from depressive symptoms (OR = 4.12; 95% CI: 2.68–6.34) and anxiety (OR = 3.31; 95% CI: 2.17–5.03). Participants who did not receive salary income, had no income source during the pandemic, had financial problems, and inadequate food supply and were more likely to suffer from anxiety and depressive symptoms (p ≤ 0.01). Perceiving the upcoming financial crisis as a stressor was a potential risk factor for anxiety (OR = 1.91; 95% CI:1.32–2.77) and depressive symptoms (OR = 1.50; 95% CI:1.04–2.16).Limitations: The online survey method used in this study limits the generalizability of the findings and self-reported answers might include selection and social desirability bias as a community-based survey was not possible during the pandemic.Conclusion: Wage earners in a low resource setting like Bangladesh require mental health attention and financial consideration to deal with mental health difficulties.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635884/fullCOVID-19anxietydepressive symptomsfinancial crisiswage earnersBangladesh |
| spellingShingle | Mst. Sadia Sultana Abid Hasan Khan Sahadat Hossain Sahadat Hossain Tauhidul Islam M. Tasdik Hasan M. Tasdik Hasan Helal Uddin Ahmed Zezhi Li Jahangir A. M. Khan The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis Frontiers in Psychiatry COVID-19 anxiety depressive symptoms financial crisis wage earners Bangladesh |
| title | The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis |
| title_full | The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis |
| title_fullStr | The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis |
| title_short | The Association Between Financial Hardship and Mental Health Difficulties Among Adult Wage Earners During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis |
| title_sort | association between financial hardship and mental health difficulties among adult wage earners during the covid 19 pandemic in bangladesh findings from a cross sectional analysis |
| topic | COVID-19 anxiety depressive symptoms financial crisis wage earners Bangladesh |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.635884/full |
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