Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Residents of an Urban Slum in North India

Tanveer Rehman; Tarundeep Singh; Sugandhi Sharma; Jitender Kumar; Dhanajayan Govindan; Shubh Mohan Singh

doi:10.1055/s-0040-1721623

Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic among the Residents of an Urban Slum in North India

J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2021 Jan;12(1):153-158. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1721623. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

Authors

Tanveer Rehman¹, Tarundeep Singh¹, Sugandhi Sharma¹, Jitender Kumar¹, Dhanajayan Govindan², Shubh Mohan Singh³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
² Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression and anxiety, and assess the knowledge, practice, and concerns regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the residents of an urban slum in Chandigarh, India. Materials and Methods Participants were screened using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scales. Results The mean (standard deviation) age of 200 enrolled participants was 33 (13) years with 83% ( n = 166) being females. The prevalence of depression and anxiety was 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-6.05) and 2.5% (95% CI: 0.34-4.66), respectively. Of total, 46% ( n = 92) knew that COVID-19 can transmit through droplets and 30.5% ( n = 61) were concerned that they might get infected with disease. Half of the participants ( n = 100) believed that there was unnecessary worry regarding COVID-19 and 78% ( n = 156) covered mouth while coughing or sneezing. Conclusion To cope with this critical situation, it is necessary to strengthen the awareness programs targeting the mental health issues of the people.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; cross sectional; depression; slum.

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