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Iranian psychosocial status during and after COVID‐19 outbreak mandatory quarantine: A cross‐sectional study
Author(s) -
Zakeri Mohammad A.,
Maazallahi Mahboobeh,
Ehsani Vahid,
Dehghan Mahlagha
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22647
Subject(s) - quarantine , psychosocial , pandemic , population , mental health , medicine , public health , outbreak , psychological intervention , cross sectional study , environmental health , covid-19 , anxiety , psychiatry , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , disease , nursing , pathology
Quarantine, one of the most effective protection measures, plays an essential role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, along with quarantine, can have devastating consequences for individuals' mental and social health. This study examined the psychosocial status of individuals during and after quarantine in the COVID‐19 pandemic. This cross‐sectional study was conducted on 714 individuals in the general population during (365) and 3 months after quarantine (349) in southeastern Iran. Data were collected using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‐item (GAD‐7) based on an online questionnaire. Data were collected from April 13 to April 20, 2020 (in quarantine) and 3 months later from August 20 to September 20, 2020. Psychological disorders in the quarantined population were significantly higher than that after quarantine. The risk of a mental disorder in the quarantined population was 1.54 times higher than that after quarantine. The results showed that quarantine is associated with a significant level of psychosocial disorders; therefore, interventions should be considered to reduce the effects of quarantine on the mental health of general population as a public health priority at the community level.