Prevalence and associated risk factors for mental health problems among young adults in Fiji Island during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Mohammad G M Khan; Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary; Kabir A Mamum; Aneesh A Chand; Kaamil Edward; Kushal A Prasad; Matthew H E M Browning; Chaandvi Prasad; Faysal Kabir Shuvo

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1323635

Prevalence and associated risk factors for mental health problems among young adults in Fiji Island during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 21:11:1323635. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1323635. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Information Technology Engineering Mathematics and Physics (STEMP), The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.
² Environment and Sustainability Research Initiative, Khulna, Bangladesh.
³ Environmental Science Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh.
⁴ Department of Electronics, Instrumentation & Control Engineering, College of Engineering, Science & Technology, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
⁵ Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States.
⁶ College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.
⁷ Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health globally. To understand the impact of the pandemic on mental health in Fiji, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety disorder and depression among the young adults.

Method: An online survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of anxiety disorder and depression among the general population in Suva, Fiji during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1,119 Fiji adults participated in the study. The study was conducted between May 20 to June 30, 2022, using a snowball sampling via social media platforms. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scales were used to measure anxiety and depression, respectively. The COVID-19 related stressors was evaluated using the adapted SARS stressors assessment. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the factors influencing mental health among respondents.

Results: The result shows that a significant portion of individuals experienced each of the stressors, with the highest prevalence seen for hearing information about the severity of COVID-19. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was found to be 45% and 49%, respectively. Being female, having pre-existing illness and COVID-19 stressors were a risk factor to develop anxiety and depression. On the other hand, employed individuals and having high BMI was a protective factor against developing depression during COVID-19 lockdown.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of addressing the mental health needs of the Fijian population during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Keywords: Asia-Pacific; COVID-19; Fiji; mental health; pandemic; social restrictions.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / psychology
Communicable Disease Control
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / epidemiology
Depression / psychology
Female
Fiji / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Pandemics
Prevalence
Risk Factors
SARS-CoV-2
Young Adult

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Pacific Island Forum (grant number: P49907070985), Suva, Fiji. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.