ABSTRACT

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations’ mental health has started to emerge.

Objectives: To describe the mental health trends of the risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) between May and August 2020. It also compares the results with pre-COVID-19 results and identifies risk factors associated with increased likelihood of being at risk of MDD and GAD.

Method: This study utilizes repeated cross-sectional design, at national-level coverage of mental health screenings via computer-assisted phone interviews conducted in four waves monthly (between May and August 2020). Arabic-speaking adults from Saudi Arabia were recruited via a random phone list. The questionnaire includes the Arabic version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Pre-COVID-19 comparison was done using the PHQ-2 score to allow for comparison with a previous and similar national study conducted in 2018.

Results: Across the four waves, 16,513 participants completed the interviews, with an overall response rate of 81.3%. The weighted national prevalence of people at risk of MDD was 14.9% overall, and 13.8%, 13.6%, 16.8%, and 15.3% in Waves 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The weighted national prevalence of people at risk of GAD was 11.4%, overall, and 10.9%, 10.7%, 12.4%, and 11.7% in Waves 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The weighted national proportion of individuals who were at risk of MDD and GAD at the same time was 7.4% overall. The risk of MDD on PHQ-2 increased by 71.2%, from 12.5% in 2018 to 21.4% in 2020.

Conclusions: The risks of MDD and GAD in this study are relatively high. These results can help decision makers to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population’s mental health and the most-impacted subgroups.

摘要

背景：COVID-19 大流行对人群心理健康的影响已经开始显现。

目的：描述 2020 年 5 月至 2020 年 8 月重度抑郁症 (MDD) 和广泛性焦虑症 (GAD) 风险的心理健康趋势。还将结果与 COVID-19 之前的结果进行比较，并确定与增加相关的风险因素处于 MDD 和 GAD 风险中的可能性。

方法：本研究采用重复横断面设计，通过计算机辅助电话采访每月（2020 年 5 月至 2020 年 8 月）进行四次电话采访，覆盖全国范围的心理健康筛查。来自沙特阿拉伯的讲阿拉伯语的成年人是通过随机电话列表招募的。问卷包括阿拉伯文版的患者健康问卷 (PHQ-9) 和一般性焦虑症 7 (GAD-7)。COVID-19 之前的比较是使用 PHQ-2 评分进行的，以便与 2018 年进行的先前和类似的国家研究进行比较。

结果: 在四轮调查中，共有 16,513 名参与者完成了访谈，总体回应率为 81.3%。MDD 风险人群的加权全国患病率总体为 14.9%，在第 1、2、3 和 4 轮中分别为 13.8%、13.6%、16.8% 和 15.3%。GAD 风险人群的加权全国患病率总体为 11.4%，在第 1、2、3 和 4 轮中分别为 10.9%、10.7%、12.4% 和 11.7%。同时处于 MDD 和 GAD 风险中的个体的加权全国比例总体为 7.4%。PHQ-2 的 MDD 风险增加了 71.2%，从 2018 年的 12.5% 增加到 2020 年的 21.4%。

结论：本研究中 MDD 和 GAD 的风险相对较高。这些结果可以帮助决策者了解 COVID-19 大流行对人口心理健康和受影响最严重的亚群的影响。