THE SILENT STRUGGLE: DEPRESSION AND ITS DETERMINANTS AMONG ADULTS IN THE WAKE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN DELHI

Abstract

 Introduction: The beginning of 2020 flooded with news of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) throughout the world. Many countries have shown higher rates of depression, anxiety, hazardous and harmful alcohol use, and lower mental well-being than usual ratio. Hence, this study was planned to assess the prevalence of depression and its determinants among adults living in Delhi during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during May and June 2020 on adults more than 18 years of age living in Delhi. A total of 267 respondent’s data were collected and analyzed. Data were collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ) scale was used to assess depression. Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to check the association of depression with socio-demographic, behavioral, and COVID-19-related factors. Results: Out of 267 subjects around 61% were males, 61.8% were above 30 years of age and around 88% were living in urban areas. The prevalence of depression among the general population was found to be significantly high at 79.8%. Depression score was significantly higher among females (p=0.024), in the younger age (<30 years) (p <0.001), in the unmarried group (p<0.001), and among non-smokers (p=0.006). Respondents who had undergone COVID-19 testing (p =0.018), been quarantined (p =0.009), come into contact with COVID-19-positive patients (p =0.030) and who were scared of working during the pandemic (p<0.001) reported high levels of depression. Conclusion: The study showed high depression among the adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Improving mental health screening, counselling sessions, and rehabilitation could be pivotal in addressing this challenging period.