Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among general Bangladeshi population: a cross-sectional study

Apr 10, 2021BMJ open

COVID-19 pandemic's impact on mental health in the general population of Bangladesh

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Abstract

The prevalence of loneliness among the Bangladeshi population during the COVID-19 pandemic was estimated at 71%.

Depression was reported in 38% of respondents, with 3% experiencing severe symptoms.
Anxiety affected 64% of participants, with 17% classified as having severe anxiety.
Sleep disturbance was reported by 73% of individuals, with 5% experiencing severe issues.
Key factors associated with poor mental health included female sex, unemployment, being a student, obesity, and living alone.
Significant interrelationships were observed among loneliness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance.

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OBJECTIVES: Mental health problems significantly increased worldwide during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. At the early stage of the outbreak, the government of Bangladesh imposed lockdown and quarantine approaches to prevent the spread of the virus, which impacted people's daily life and health. The COVID-19 pandemic has also affected people's economic status, healthcare facilities and other lifestyle factors in Bangladesh. We aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among the Bangladeshi population.

METHODS: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey among 672 Bangladeshi people aged between 15 and 65 years all over the country from 15 April to 10 May 2020. After obtaining electronic consent, we conducted a survey assessing people's sociodemographic profiles and psychometric measures. We used The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale-8, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to assess loneliness, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance, respectively.

RESULTS: The prevalence of loneliness, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance was estimated at 71% (mild: 32%, moderate: 29%, severe: 10%), 38% (mild: 24%, moderate: 11%, severe: 3%), 64% (mild: 30%, moderate: 17%, severe: 17%) and 73% (mild: 50%, moderate: 18%, severe: 5%), respectively. In Bangladesh, the key factors associated with poor mental health during COVID-19 were female sex, unemployment, being a student, obesity and living without a family. The present study also identified statistically significant interrelationships among the measured mental health issues.

CONCLUSIONS: A large portion of respondents reported mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The present study suggests longitudinal assessments of mental health among Bangladeshi people to determine the gravity of this issue during and after the pandemic. Appropriate supportive programmes and interventional approaches would address mental health problems in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key numbers

71%

Prevalence of Loneliness

Percentage of respondents experiencing loneliness.

38%

Prevalence of Depression

Percentage of respondents with depressive symptoms.

64%

Prevalence of Anxiety

Percentage of respondents experiencing anxiety.

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Abstract

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