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. 2020 Jun:51:102083.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102083. Epub 2020 Apr 8.

Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic

Deblina Roy  1 , Sarvodaya Tripathy  1 , Sujita Kumar Kar  2 , Nivedita Sharma  1 , Sudhir Kumar Verma  1 , Vikas Kaushal  3
Affiliations

Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic

Deblina Roy et al. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) originating from China has rapidly crossed borders, infecting people throughout the whole world. This phenomenon has led to a massive public reaction; the media has been reporting continuously across borders to keep all informed about the pandemic situation. All these things are creating a lot of concern for people leading to heightened levels of anxiety. Pandemics can lead to heightened levels of stress; Anxiety is a common response to any stressful situation. This study attempted to assess the knowledge, attitude, anxiety experience, and perceived mental healthcare need among adult Indian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire using a non-probability snowball sampling technique. A total of 662 responses were received. The responders had a moderate level of knowledge about the COVID-19 infection and adequate knowledge about its preventive aspects. The attitude towards COVID-19 showed peoples' willingness to follow government guidelines on quarantine and social distancing. The anxiety levels identified in the study were high. More than 80 % of the people were preoccupied with the thoughts of COVID-19 and 72 % reported the need to use gloves, and sanitizers. In this study, sleep difficulties, paranoia about acquiring COVID-19 infection and distress related social media were reported in 12.5 %, 37.8 %, and 36.4 % participants respectively. The perceived mental healthcare need was seen in more than 80 % of participants. There is a need to intensify the awareness and address the mental health issues of people during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Anxiety; Attitude; Awareness; COVID-19 pandemic; Mental healthcare.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Distribution of study sample across various states of India].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Awareness of participants about COVID-19 pandemic].
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Attitude of participants towards COVID-19 pandemic].
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