Abstrait

Depression and Anxiety Among Syrians - A National Survey

Fatema Mohsen

Introduction: War and COVID-19 has inevitably triggered mental health disorders among Syrians. This virus has overwhelmed public healthcare systems worldwide and forced governments to impose draconian lockdowns of entire countries. This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak embedded within the war.

Methods: This web-based cross-sectional screening study was distributed randomly in May 2020, during the Syrian war and COVID-19 pandemic. The survey contained several questions related to socio-demographic characteristics, and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale were used. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with depression, and anxiety. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25.0 (SPSS Inc., United States) was used to analyze data.

Results: Of the 3989 participants, 73.5% were female, 77.6% were single, 13.9% have chronic disease(s), and 10.4% have a poor economic status. The study revealed a high level of depressive 3326 (83.4%) and anxiety symptoms 2777 (69.6%) among participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that females were a risk factor for depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Conclusion: This study showed an alarmingly high prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Syrians who have limited access to mental healthcare services. A change in the health care system must be addressed to provide urgent resources to alleviate acute mental health disturbances and improve their physical health perceptions.