Journal of Medical Toxicology and Clinical Forensic Medicine

Depression, anxiety, and stress and socio-demographic correlates among general Indian public during COVID-19

The severe outbreak of COVID-19 and lockdown an­nounced to contain its spread has affected the mental health of Indians. Aim: The objective of this article was to find the prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and stress and their socio-demographic correlates among Indian population during the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an electronic questionnaire. A total of 354 participants were recruited through convenience sampling. Depression, anxiety, and stress and were mea­sured using DASS-21, a 21-items self-reported question­naire. Results: Twenty-five percent, 28%, and 11.6% of the participants were moderate to extremely severely de­pressed, anxious, and stressed respectively. Bivariate lo­gistic regressions indicated employment status and binge drinking were significantly associated with depressive symptoms; gender, employment status and binge drink­ing were significantly associated with anxiety symptoms; and binge drinking was significantly associated with stress symptoms. Conclusion: Depression, anxiety, and stress among Indian population during the lockdown were prevalent. Along with other measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 mental health of citizens needs the urgent attention of the Indian government and mental health experts..

Author(s):

Aditi Mishra

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