1 in 3 adults anxious, depressed due to COVID-19: Study

A new study has discovered that one in every three adults, especially younger adults, women, and those of lower socioeconomic status experience psychological distress related to COVID-19.

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore reported in the journal 'PLOS ONE' that COVID-19 continues to pose serious threats to public health across the globe, and interventions such as lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing are having an adverse impact on the mental well-being of populations.

The pandemic has escalated the burden of psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and insomnia.

However, the factors associated with increased susceptibility to psychological distress among adults in the general population during COVID-19 are not yet well known.

Younger adults aged 35 and under, were more likely to experience psychological distress than those over the age of 35.

Although the reasons for this are unclear, previous studies have suggested that it might be due to younger people's greater access to COVID-19 information through the media.

This current study also confirmed that longer media exposure was associated with higher odds of anxiety and depression.

Other factors associated with psychological distress included living in rural areas; lower education, lower-income, or unemployment; and being at high risk of COVID-19 infection.

However, having stronger family and social support and using positive coping strategies were shown to reduce the risk of psychological distress.