Quarantine, one of the most effective protection measures, plays an essential role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, along with quarantine, can have devastating consequences for individuals' mental and social health. This study examined the psychosocial status of individuals during and after quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 714 individuals in the general population during (365) and 3 months after quarantine (349) in southeastern Iran. Data were collected using General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) based on an online questionnaire. Data were collected from April 13 to April 20, 2020 (in quarantine) and 3 months later from August 20 to September 20, 2020. Psychological disorders in the quarantined population were significantly higher than that after quarantine. The risk of a mental disorder in the quarantined population was 1.54 times higher than that after quarantine. The results showed that quarantine is associated with a significant level of psychosocial disorders; therefore, interventions should be considered to reduce the effects of quarantine on the mental health of general population as a public health priority at the community level.
Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; health; population; quarantine.
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