The mental health impact of COVID-19 outbreak: a Nationwide Survey in Iran

TL;DR

A nationwide survey in Iran found that the COVID-19 outbreak caused significant mental health issues, with many people experiencing depression and anxiety.

Contribution

This study provides new insights into the mental health impact of the pandemic in Iran and identifies demographic risk and protective factors.

Findings

15.1% of participants had clinically significant depressive symptoms, and 20.1% had anxiety symptoms.

Female gender and being a healthcare worker were risk factors for depression and anxiety.

Older age, being married, and higher education were protective factors against mental health issues.

Abstract

Disease outbreak not only carries the risk of death to the public due to the infection, but it also can lead to unbearable psychological impact on the mental health of the individuals. This study aims to explore and evaluate the burden of psychological problems on the Iranian general population during the outbreak of COVID-19.

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among the general population of Iran age 15 and above. Demographic variables, depression, and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaires.

Among the 8591 participants, the mean age was 34.37 (± 11.25) years and 66.4% were female while 33.6% were male. Based on our results, 1295 (15.1%) and 1733 (20.1%) of the general population had clinically significant depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Based on the demographic variables, female gender was associated with a higher risk for developing depression and anxiety symptoms, whereas getting information about the disease from medical journals and articles, being older, and being married were considered as associated protective factors. In terms of depression, being a healthcare worker was an associated risk factor. On the other hand, for anxiety, having higher education was a protective factor while a higher number of individuals in a household was considered as a risk factor.

This study identified a major mental health problem in the Iranian population during the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, establishing a targeted mental health support program during the time of public emergencies, such as the disease outbreak, is advised.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13033-021-00445-3.

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