How People's COVID-19 Induced-Worries and Multiple Environmental Exposures Are Associated with Their Depression, Anxiety, and Stress during the Pandemic

Jianwei Huang; Mei-Po Kwan; Lap Ah Tse; Sylvia Y He

doi:10.3390/ijerph20166620

How People's COVID-19 Induced-Worries and Multiple Environmental Exposures Are Associated with Their Depression, Anxiety, and Stress during the Pandemic

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Aug 21;20(16):6620. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166620.

Authors

Jianwei Huang¹, Mei-Po Kwan^{1

2}, Lap Ah Tse^{1

3}, Sylvia Y He²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
² Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
³ Division of Occupational and Environmental Health, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.

Abstract

This study investigates how people's perceived COVID-19 risk, worries about financial hardship, job loss, and family conflicts, and exposures to greenspace, PM_2.5, and noise (in people's residential neighborhoods and daily activity locations) are related to their depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a two-day activity-travel diary, a questionnaire, and real-time air pollutant and noise sensors, a survey was conducted to collect data from 221 participants living in two residential neighborhoods of Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic. Linear regression was conducted to explore the relationships. Significant associations between people's COVID-19-related worries and exposures to grassland and PM_2.5 with depression, anxiety, and stress were found in the results. These associations with depression, anxiety, and stress vary depending on people's demographic attributes. These results can help direct the public authorities' efforts in dealing with the public mental health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; COVID-19-induced worries; mental health; mobility; multiple environmental exposures.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anxiety / epidemiology
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Depression / epidemiology
Environmental Exposure
Humans
Pandemics*
Particulate Matter

Substances

Particulate Matter

Grants and funding

This research was supported by grants from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (General Research Fund Grant no. 14605920, 14611621, 14606922; Collaborative Research Fund Grant no. C4023-20GF) and a grant from the Research Committee on Research Sustainability of Major Research Grants Council Funding Schemes of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.