Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Survey

Tanvir Abir; Uchechukwu L Osuagwu; Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah; Dewan Muhammad Nur-A Yazdani; Taha Husain; Palash Basak; Piwuna Christopher Goson; Abdullah Al Mamun; P Yukthamarani Permarupan; Abul Hasnat Milton; Md Adnan Rahman; Md Lutfar Rahman; Kingsley Emwinyore Agho

doi:10.1089/hs.2020.0205

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Analysis of a Cross-Sectional Survey

Health Secur. 2021 Sep-Oct;19(5):468-478. doi: 10.1089/hs.2020.0205. Epub 2021 Aug 3.

Affiliation

¹ Tanvir Abir, PhD, is an Associate Professor; Dewan Muhammad Nur-A Yazdani, MSc, is an Assistant Professor; Md Adnan Rahman, MSc, is a Senior Lecturer; and Md Lutfar Rahman, PhD, is a Professor; all at the College of Business Administration, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Uchechukwu L. Osuagwu, PhD, is a Research Fellow, Translational Health Research Institute, School of Medicine; and Kingsley Emwinyore Agho, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences; both at Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, PhD, is Vice-Chancellor and Taha Husain, MSS, is a Lecturer, Department of Gender and Development Studies; both at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh. Palash Basak, MSc, is a PhD Researcher, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia. Piwuna Christopher Goson, MBBS, MSc, is a Reader and Head, Department of Psychiatry, College of Health Science, University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Abdullah Al Mamun, PhD, is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Management, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. P. Yukthamarani Permarupan, PhD, is [title], Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Malaysia. Abul Hasnat Milton, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer, Research International, Dhaka, Bangladesh & Epidemiology Resource Centre, NSW, Australia. Uchechukwu L. Osuagwu and Kingsley Emwinyore Agho are also affiliated with the Discipline of Optometry, African Vision Research Institute, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

PMID: 34348050
DOI: 10.1089/hs.2020.0205

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated fear, panic, distress, anxiety, and depression among many people in Bangladesh. In this cross-sectional study, we examined factors associated with different levels of psychological impact as a result of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. From April 1 to 30, 2020, we used a self-administered online questionnaire to collect data from 10,609 respondents. Using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised to assess the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on respondents, we categorized the levels of impact as normal, mild, moderate, or severe. Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine the associated factors. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe psychological impact was 10.2%, 4.8%, and 45.5%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of reporting normal vs mild, moderate, or severe psychological impact were 5.9 times higher for people living in the Chittagong Division, 1.7 times higher for women with lower education levels, 3.0 times higher among those who were divorced or separated, 1.8 times higher for those working full time, and 2.4 times higher for those living in shared apartments. The odds of reporting a psychological impact were also higher among people who did not enforce protective measures inside the home, those in self-quarantine, those who did not wear face masks, and those who did not comply with World Health Organization precautionary measures. Increased psychological health risks due to COVID-19 were significantly higher among people who experienced chills, headache, cough, breathing difficulties, dizziness, and sore throat before data collection. Our results showed that 1 in 2 respondents experienced a significant psychological impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health researchers should consider these factors when targeting interventions that would have a protective effect on the individual's psychological health during a pandemic or future disease outbreak.

Keywords: COVID-19; Consequence management; Epidemic management/response; Mental health; Psychological impacts; Public health preparedness/response.

MeSH terms

Anxiety
Bangladesh / epidemiology
COVID-19*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Pandemics*
SARS-CoV-2
Surveys and Questionnaires