Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic and a major health crisis affecting several nations. Such outbreaks are associated with adverse mental health consequences to any group of the population. Despite its negative effects, no study has addressed the potential psychological impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak among the pastoral community. This study aims to assess psychological experiences during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and the factors that contributed to it among pastoral community residents in West Omo, South-West Ethiopia.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from May to June 2020. The study subjects were selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, and entered into EpiData 3.1, then exported to SPSS version 24 for statistical analysis. The psychological impact was assessed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). P-value < 0.20 during bi-variable analysis was considered as a candidate for multivariable logistic regression. Independent factors of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence level s at P-value < 0.05 cut-off point.
Results: A total of 845 eligible pastoral residents were interviewed, with a 94.4% response rate. The prevalence of a positive response for anxiety, depression and stress was 30.8%, 26.3% and 24.4%, respectively. Being female was highly associated with developing anxiety and depression. Anxiety was found to be three times more prevalent among the respondents with ≥ 3 family members. Furthermore, participants with a history of mental illness, poor social support, and a high perceived life threat were also at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and stress.
Conclusion: The prevalence of positive depression, anxiety and stress results were high. As a result, special attention should be paid, by governmental and non-governmental health organizations, to psychosocial and mental health programs for pastoral residentsduring the COVID-19 pandemic.



中文翻译：

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2020 年埃塞俄比亚西南部西奥莫区牧区社区中 COVID-19 爆发初期的心理影响及其相关因素：基于社区的研究

背景： COVID-19 是一种全球流行病，也是影响多个国家的重大健康危机。这种爆发与对任何人群的不良心理健康后果有关。尽管有负面影响，但没有研究解决 COVID-19 爆发对牧区社区的潜在心理影响。本研究旨在评估 COVID-19 爆发早期的心理体验，以及在埃塞俄比亚西南部西奥莫的牧区居民中造成这种情况的因素。
方法：2020 年 5 月至 2020 年 6 月开展了一项以社区为基础的横断面研究。研究对象是通过多阶段抽样技术选择的。通过面对面访谈收集数据，输入EpiData 3.1，然后导出到SPSS 24版进行统计分析。通过抑郁、焦虑和压力量表 (DASS-21) 评估心理影响。双变量分析期间 P 值 < 0.20 被认为是多变量逻辑回归的候选者。使用调整后的优势比评估抑郁、焦虑和压力的独立因素，95% 置信水平， P 值 < 0.05 截止点。
结果：共有845名符合条件的牧民接受了采访，回复率为94.4%。对焦虑、抑郁和压力的积极反应的发生率分别为 30.8%、26.3% 和 24.4%。成为女性与发展焦虑和抑郁高度相关。在有 ≥ 3 个家庭成员的受访者中，焦虑症的患病率高出三倍。此外，有精神疾病史、缺乏社会支持和高度感知生命威胁的参与者也面临更高的焦虑、抑郁和压力风险。
结论：积极抑郁、焦虑和压力结果的患病率很高。因此，政府和非政府卫生组织应特别关注 COVID-19 大流行期间针对牧区居民的心理社会和心理健康计划。