AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightConclusion: This study demonstrates the high levels of sleep disturbances and anxietysymptoms experienced by outpatients with depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.These are closely linked to the younger age group and at-risk social media addictionrelated to COVID-19.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Objective: Long-term social distancing, isolation, and economic fallout may be signifi cant psychological triggers during pandemic, such as COVID-19, especially for those withunderlying psychiatric illness. This study was conducted to address the psychologicalimpact of COVID-19 pandemic among patients with depression based at a teaching hos pital in Malaysia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional online study among patients with depression fromUniversity Malaya Medical Centre, using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7),Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Assessment (MADRS-S), InsomniaSeverity Index (ISI), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS),Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP), and Social Media Addiction duringCOVID-19 Pandemic (SMACOP). Results: One hundred seventy-eight patients participated in this study. The mean totalof the KAP score is 12.65 (SD = 2.65), with knowledge section (mean = 7.34 [SD = 2.13]),attitudes section (mean = 2.63 [SD = 0.58]), and practices section (mean = 2.69 [SD = 1.00]).They scored moderately on the MADRS-S (mean = 21.03 [SD = 4.62]) and ISI (mean = 20.25[SD = 4.62]) but had high GAD-7 scores (mean = 16.8 (SD = 6.27]). From the multiple logis tic regression analyses, depressive symptoms of greater severity (MADRS-S 18–34) aresignificantly associated with more severe insomnia (P < .001, adjusted OR = 9.101, 95%CI: 3.613-22.924). Furthermore, the high anxiety level is associated with the younger agegroup (P = .029, Adjusted OR = 2.274, 95% CI: 1.090-4.746), greater severity of insomnia(P < .001, Adjusted OR = 22.9, 95% CI: 6.145-85.343), and higher risk of COVID-19 relatedsocial media addiction (P = .011, adjusted OR = 2.637, 95% CI: 1.253-5.550). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the high levels of sleep disturbances and anxietysymptoms experienced by outpatients with depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.These are closely linked to the younger age group and at-risk social media addictionrelated to COVID-19.