Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Psychiatric comorbidities among COVID‑19 survivors in North India: A cross‑sectional study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Shabir Ahmad Dar
. Mohammad Maqbool Dar
. Shanoo Sheikh 1
. Inaamul Haq 2
. Aaliya Mohi Ud Din Azad 3
. Mehvish Mushtaq 3
. Naveed Nazir Shah 3
. Zaid Ahmad Wani

1 Department of Clinical Psychology, College of Health and Rehabilitation, Princess Nourah Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

2 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

3 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease‑19 (COVID‑19) emerged from China and rapidly spread
to many other countries all over the world. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety,
depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms among
COVID‑19 survivors after their discharge from the COVID‑19 treatment center.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross‑sectional, hospital‑based study performed among
119 COVID‑19 survivors. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure
anxiety and depression. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)‑Checklist (PCL) and Brief OC Scale
were used to measure PTSD and OC symptoms. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential
statistics using the SPSS (IBM Corp. Released 2015 version 23.0).
RESULTS: The mean anxiety, depression, and PTSD scores were, 7.12 ± 0.68, 8.08 ± 0.22, and
19.78 ± 0.88, respectively. Based on cutoff scores, the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and
PTSD among COVID‑19 survivors was n = 53, 44.54%; n = 73, 61.34%; and n = 30, 25.21%,
respectively. Older COVID‑19 survivors (≥50 years) were more likely to show symptoms of
depression and anxiety (P < 0.001) compared to younger ones. Furthermore, COVID‑19 survivors
who were ≥50 years of age experienced a greater level of PTSD compared to younger ones; similar
trends were seen in those experiencing OC symptoms. In the present study, n = 98 (82.4%) were
obsessed with fears of contamination and an equal number had compulsive handwashing.
CONCLUSION: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, and OC symptoms are common among the COVID‑19
survivors and that underscores the need to diagnose and manage mental health morbidities among
these survivors long after their recovery from COVID‑19.

Keywords

Anxiety
COVID‑19
depression
obsessive–compulsive disorder
posttraumatic stress disorder
prevalence
survivors
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 11, Issue 7
August 2021
Pages 1-9

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