Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms and their association with quality of sleep and loneliness in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

The impact of mental health due to coronavirus infection caused by SARS -2 COVID -19 is severe. The spread of the virus has been reported not only in India but also in many countries worldwide. The lockdown amid the recent COVID-19 widespread has brought about a change in the way of life in most people. The self-isolation and social distancing measures may result in individuals becoming more anxious, angry, stressed, disturbed and depressed. The aim of our study is to assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress and their association with quality of sleep and loneliness in the general population during the Covid 19 pandemic. The study design was a cross-sectional study, and information and data were collected through an online questionnaire using Google forms. A total of 726 participants had completed the online questionnaire from which socio-demographic details, Depression, Anxiety & Stress (DASS 21), Insomnia (ISI) and Loneliness (UCLA) were assessed. The overall prevalence rate of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia and loneliness was 27%, 24.9%, 12.1, 16.9% and 8.8%, respectively. Age, education, occupation and living status had a strong association with depression. Concerning anxiety, age, marital status, living status and past history of medical illness were positively correlated. Stress had a strong association with education. Insomnia was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, stress and loneliness. Anxiety, stress and insomnia had a strong association with loneliness. This study shows that the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population is very high. Since loneliness and insomnia have been shown to be associated with psychological symptoms, screening for and addressing them can help in reducing the psychological impact of COVID-19.