Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Symptoms and Its Associated Factors Among Residents of Gondar Town During the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic

Akalu, Temesgen Yihunie; Gelaye, Kassahun Alemu; Bishaw, Mulat Addis; Tilahun, Sewbesew Yitayih; Yeshaw, Yigizie; Azale, Telake; Tsegaye, Tewodros; Asmelash, Daniel; Akalu, Yonas

PURPOSE: An acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID) was identified in late 2019. COVID-19 triggered a wide range of psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and stress. However, studies on mental health status in developing countries including Ethiopia related to COVID-19 are very limited. Therefore, this study was aimed at determining the magnitude of depression, anxiety, and stress, and their associated factors among Gondar town population during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 660 residents of Gondar town in April 2020. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select study participants. A 21 item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used. Variables with a p-value <0.05 in the final model were declared as statistically significant. Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to check the model fitness. RESULTS: In this study, the prevalence of depression was 32.0% (95% CI: 28.4–35.5), anxiety 25.8% (95% CI: 22.4–29.1), and stress 14.7% (95% CI: 12.0–17.4), respectively. The odds of developing depression was higher among female respondents (AOR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.01, 3.83) and ever smokers (AOR=2.8, 95 CI: 1.23, 6.28) as compared to their counterparts. Besides, history of medical illness and ever smoking increase the odds of anxiety by 2.3 (AOR=2.3; 95% CI: 1.42–3.76), and 2.8 (AOR=2.8; 95% CI: 1.23–3.83), respectively. Furthermore, being unemployed and family size of <5 increase the odds of stress by 2.1 (AOR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.17–3.83) and 1.8 (AOR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.09–2.81), respectively. CONCLUSION: In this study, the overall depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly high. There are number of factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Designing and implementing tailored strategies for COVID-19 prevention and control could be supremely important to reduce mental health problems in the community.