Psychological aspect of common people during lockdown

Ind Psychiatry J. 2021 Oct;30(Suppl 1):S52-S55. doi: 10.4103/0972-6748.328789. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Abstract

Background: Lockdown was implemented to restrict the transmission of COVID-19. This brought upon many unforeseen hurdles, including mental health problems.

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the impact of lockdown on mental health.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using Google Form, which the participants were requested to complete online. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information and general health questionnaire (GHQ)-12, which was used to screen for mental health.

Results: A total of 343 participants took part in the study in which 113 participants (32.9%) were having GHQ score of less than or equal to 12. The study showed that people aged less than 41 years were able to concentrate more during lockdown (75.6%) as compared to people aged more than 41 years (65%). Younger participants who were less than 41 years reported sleep disorders associated with late-night entertainment and TV viewing (24.5%). Many experienced stress during lockdown, but it was more in people over 60 years (63.7%).

Conclusions: An appreciable proportion of the participants faced stress during lockdown. Elderly people were more affected. Sleeping disorders were associated with late-night entertainment and TV viewing in younger people.

Keywords: COVID-19; general health questionnaire; mental health.