A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population
Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is taking many lives every day. It affects literally all aspects of life and changes humanity communication tools, mobility, lifestyle, and feasibly their level of perceived stress and depression. The present study aims to investigate the psychological healt...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Middle East Current Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00115-7 |
| _version_ | 1819145604411949056 |
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| author | Zelal Kharaba Sayer Al-Azzam Ahmed Alhusban Khawla Nuseir |
| author_facet | Zelal Kharaba Sayer Al-Azzam Ahmed Alhusban Khawla Nuseir |
| author_sort | Zelal Kharaba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is taking many lives every day. It affects literally all aspects of life and changes humanity communication tools, mobility, lifestyle, and feasibly their level of perceived stress and depression. The present study aims to investigate the psychological health status in terms of perceived stress and depression among the UAE population in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in the UAE during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Validated assessment tools (PHQ-9 and PSS) were used to assess depression and perceived stress, respectively. Data were analyzed using categorical data and mean± SD for scores of perceived stress, and depression scales were calculated. The SPSS statistical software (version 24.0) was used for data analysis purposes. Results Our findings revealed that the pandemic has significantly influenced the daily routine and psychological health. Depressive symptoms were prevalent in 47.8% of the participants. A concerned percent of participants around 84% were anxious. Age, gender, school attendance, and the impact of the pandemic on work performance were the major factors of developing depression and perceived stress symptoms. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has a considerable negative psychological impact on the public in the UAE. The importance of the current study also came from the fact that only very few or no study has holistically evaluated the psychological state of the public during the lockdown in the UAE. The figures that reflect the depression and the perceived stress level among the public during the lockdown also struck our attention. Almost half of the participants in this study suffered from depression. Also, approximately 85% of the same were anxious during the lockdown. These figures should not be overlooked when further psychological assessment studies are conducted. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c66a1ff7943046a694de209495cc11db |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2090-5416 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T13:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Middle East Current Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-c66a1ff7943046a694de209495cc11db2022-12-21T18:25:00ZengSpringerOpenMiddle East Current Psychiatry2090-54162021-06-012811810.1186/s43045-021-00115-7A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE populationZelal Kharaba0Sayer Al-Azzam1Ahmed Alhusban2Khawla Nuseir3Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain UniversityDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Al Ain UniversityDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic is taking many lives every day. It affects literally all aspects of life and changes humanity communication tools, mobility, lifestyle, and feasibly their level of perceived stress and depression. The present study aims to investigate the psychological health status in terms of perceived stress and depression among the UAE population in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in the UAE during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Validated assessment tools (PHQ-9 and PSS) were used to assess depression and perceived stress, respectively. Data were analyzed using categorical data and mean± SD for scores of perceived stress, and depression scales were calculated. The SPSS statistical software (version 24.0) was used for data analysis purposes. Results Our findings revealed that the pandemic has significantly influenced the daily routine and psychological health. Depressive symptoms were prevalent in 47.8% of the participants. A concerned percent of participants around 84% were anxious. Age, gender, school attendance, and the impact of the pandemic on work performance were the major factors of developing depression and perceived stress symptoms. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has a considerable negative psychological impact on the public in the UAE. The importance of the current study also came from the fact that only very few or no study has holistically evaluated the psychological state of the public during the lockdown in the UAE. The figures that reflect the depression and the perceived stress level among the public during the lockdown also struck our attention. Almost half of the participants in this study suffered from depression. Also, approximately 85% of the same were anxious during the lockdown. These figures should not be overlooked when further psychological assessment studies are conducted.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00115-7COVID-19CoronavirusUAEDepressionPerceived stressPHQ-9 |
| spellingShingle | Zelal Kharaba Sayer Al-Azzam Ahmed Alhusban Khawla Nuseir A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population Middle East Current Psychiatry COVID-19 Coronavirus UAE Depression Perceived stress PHQ-9 |
| title | A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population |
| title_full | A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population |
| title_fullStr | A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population |
| title_full_unstemmed | A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population |
| title_short | A look behind the scenes: COVID-19 impact on depression and perceived stress of UAE population |
| title_sort | look behind the scenes covid 19 impact on depression and perceived stress of uae population |
| topic | COVID-19 Coronavirus UAE Depression Perceived stress PHQ-9 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00115-7 |
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