essio epr n ACCESS Freely available online D an OPEN f d o A l a n n x r i e u t y o J Journal of Depression and Anxiety ISSN: 2167-1044 Research Article A Study of the Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic Ali Abdullah Alaseeri1, Mamdouh Ali Kotb1,2, Farraj Mohammed Alshalwi3, Abdulrahman khulaif Alenezi3, Sultan Mohmammd Alkahtani3, Turky Saad Algraene3, Abdulsalam Saud Alharbi3, Ahmed M Kamal4,5* 1Neurology Department, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abduaziz University, Alkharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 2Neurology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt; 3Medical Student, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abduaziz University, Alkharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, Minia, Egypt; 5Psychiatry Department, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abduaziz University, Alkharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ABSTRACT Background: World Health organization announced COVID-19 pandemic by March 11,2020. As a result, Saudi Arabia started strict precautionary measurements to minimize the implications of this pandemic. In spite of most individuals accept these measures, they experienced psychological distress. Objective: To assess the early psychological reactions to COVID-19 pandemic and investigate the possible explanation of them. Methods: the study included 1588 participants who are responded to structured online questionnaire. Demographic characteristics, source of pandemic news, history of coming from infected countries or contact with infected persons, physical symptoms suggesting COVID-19 infection and opinion about precautionary measures are assessed. Early psychological impacts are assessed by Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Defense mechanisms used by respondents are assessed by Arabic version of Defense Style Questionnaire 40 (DSQ-40). Results: Social media was the main source of information for COVID-19 pandemic. Stress, anxiety and depression significantly (<0.001) more among female (X2=20.4, X2=46.14, X2=15.67 respectively), those younger than 50 years (X2=80.78, X2=156.9, X2=80.97 respectively), and non-health care providers (X2=208.38, X2=311.3, X2=304.74 respectively). Home quarantine was significantly associated with stress (X2=37.33, p<0.001), anxiety (X2=6.812, p<0.009) and depression (X2=15.41, p<0.001). Limitations: Causal relationship cannot be inferred due to the cross- sectional design of the current study. Conclusions: Psychological distress may be an early implication to COVID-19 pandemic. Precautionary measures, source of information and defense mechanisms used by participants may represent be contributing factors for psychological reactions. Keywords: Stress; Anxiety; Depression; COVID-19 pandemic; Psychological impacts INTRODUCTION the number of new infected and dead cases, as well as recoveries. On February 27, 2020 and before registering any confirmed case, In late December 2019, China reported many cases with Saudi Arabia announced temporary suspension of entry for pneumonia that progressed rapidly to fatal pneumonia. This illness individuals wanting to perform the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca later identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or to visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, as well as passengers. (SARS-Cov-2) [1-3]. Because of this syndrome occurred in 2019, The rule was also extended to visitors traveling from countries patients with the illness called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) where COVID-19 is a risk. With the increase in the number of [4]. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization reported positive cases, Saudi Arabia began to increase the precautionary COVID-19 to be pandemic [5]. On March 2, 2020, Saudi Arabia measures, which included closing schools and universities, making confirmed its first case with COVID-19 for a Saudi national online learning, then prohibition of prayer in mosques, curfew and returning from Iran via Bahrain. Every day at 3 pm, the Ministry finally considering some big cities like Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah of Health in Saudi Arabia holds a press conference to announce and Jeddah as closed cities. Furthermore, the Minister of health Correspondence to: Ahmed M Kamal, Psychiatry Department, College of Medicine, Prince Sattam Bin Abduaziz University, Alkharj, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel: +201001168779; E-mail: [email protected] Received: October 06, 2020, Accepted: November 20, 2020, Published: November 27, 2020 Citation: Alaseeri AA, Kotb MA, Alshalwi FM, Alenezi AK, Alkahtani SM, Algraene TS, et al. (2020) A Study of the Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic. J Depress Anxiety. 9:379. Copyright: © 2020 Alaseeri AA, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. J Dep Anxiety, Vol. 9 Iss. 5 No: 379 1 Alaseeri AA, et al. OPEN ACCESS Freely available online announced that everyone suspected to have COVID-19 infection follows: mature defenses (anticipation, humor, sublimation and must isolate himself at home for at least 14 days. The flow of suppression); neurotic defenses (rationalization, isolation, reaction information about COVID-19 is fast, some of which are confirmed formation, pseudo-altruism and undoing); and immature defenses and many of which are rumors. The main source of rumors is coming (acting out, autistic fantasy, denial, passive aggression, splitting, from the social media. Social media displays many conflicting projection, dissociation, devaluation, displacement, isolation, and information from lay person who aren't professional, which somatization). The rating scale format is Likert-type scale as follows: leads to a lot of confusion. People of Saudi Arabia are suddenly 1-4 = did not agree, 5 = undefined, 6-9 = strongly agree. Individual exposed to COVID-19 pandemic with the consequences of social defenses were assessed by calculating the mean score on the two isolation, the situation that made them vulnerable to a lot of stress items for each of the 20 defenses [10]. and conflicts. Plus, the unparalleled and possibility inconsistent information and precautions in the surrounding. People differ in Procedure their interaction with acute stress and conflicts, according to their As Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Government precautionary abilities to adapt and vulnerability to mental illness [6]. The coping measurements to minimize spread of COVID-19 infection strategies in stressful events are ranged from consciously problem- by minimize the physical contact of public people and home solving strategy by helping and seeking help from others or using isolation for the suspected cases and their contacts. Participants unconscious defense mechanisms in maladaptive pattern that lead were enrolled to this study by completing the structured scale in to psychological symptoms [7]. The aims of this study are to: 1) Arabic through online site. To avoid boredom and exhaustion assess the prevalence of early psychological reactions in person of the participants, we selected 7 defense mechanisms which are living in Saudi Arabia, Al Kharj governorate; 2) analyze the possible commonly used by individuals suffering from stress, anxiety and explanations of these reactions. or depression. Age of the enrolled individuals was expressed MATERIALS AND METHODS as younger or older than 50. According to the results of Clara Bonnanad et al. [11], mortality was around 1% in patients aged Study design and participants <50 and it increased exponentially after that age. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Prince Sattam Bin The current study is a cross-sectional observational study. It was Abdulaziz University, which conformed to the principles embodied designed to assess the early psychological reactions to COVID-19 in the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants provided informed pandemic by using structured online questionnaire. The study was consent after the research team declared that all information will focused on Al-Kharj community, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. remain confidential and will be used only within the scientific framework of this research. Data collection took place over three Tools of the study days after Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Government announcement of the start of curfew and social isolation. The structured questionnaire was designed to cover the followed areas: 1) demographic characteristics; 2) pattern of use of social Statistical analysis media as a source of information; 3) coming from country with COVID-19 pandemic or contact history with COVID-19 patients The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the in the past 14 days; 4) current or history of physical symptoms Social Sciences (SPSS) 13.0. Descriptive statistics were calculated. suggesting possible COVID-19 infection in the past 14 days; Difference between non-parametric variables were tested for using 5) opinion about precautionary measures against COVID-19 a Chi Squared test. Values of p < 0.05 were considered to be outbreak; 6) psychological impacts of precautionary measures statistically significant. against COVID-19 outbreak; 7) psychological symptoms as a result RESULTS of COVID-19 outbreak; 8) psychological defense mechanisms used against COVID-19 outbreak. We received responses from 1681 respondents from Al Kharj Psychological symptoms were assessed by Arabic version of the governerate, 93 of them