Impact of COVID-19 on youth's mental health in Egypt

Ahmed Taha Aboushady; Salma Seddik; Mennatullah Zohny; Mahmoud Masoud; Ahmed Essam Nawwar; Omneya Mostafa Mahmoud; Aly Khaled Mohamed Helmy Elkaffas; Noha Mohamed Abubakr; Amira Aly Hegazy

doi:10.1177/22799036221147100

Impact of COVID-19 on youth's mental health in Egypt

J Public Health Res. 2023 Feb 8;12(1):22799036221147100. doi: 10.1177/22799036221147100. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Ahmed Taha Aboushady¹, Salma Seddik², Mennatullah Zohny³, Mahmoud Masoud⁴, Ahmed Essam Nawwar⁵, Omneya Mostafa Mahmoud⁶, Aly Khaled Mohamed Helmy Elkaffas⁷, Noha Mohamed Abubakr⁸, Amira Aly Hegazy²

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
² Cairo University Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
³ IFMSA-Egypt, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁴ Cairo University Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Giza, Egypt.
⁵ Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁶ Egypt Ministry of Health and Population, Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
⁷ ElAlsson International American School, Cairo, Egypt.
⁸ Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Youth represent 21% of the Egyptian population; such proportion can create a leading demographic power for economic development and transition. However, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is exposed to more than usual stressors, adding a burden to their mental health and well-being.

Aim: This study aims to understand the pandemic's effect on youth's mental health in Egypt to strengthen the intervention areas needed to tackle such issues.

Methods: This observational, analytical, cross-sectional study employed internet platforms of Facebook & WhatsApp groups for a web-based survey that included 412 respondents between 15 and 30 years old. RESULTS The median age of the respondents was 22 years. At least 30% reported increased violence in the street and/or household, and 27.4% of the respondents have considered visiting a psychiatrist during the last period.

Conclusion: It is evident that the current situation is unprecedented and challenging for everyone; however, some populations are more vulnerable than others. Thus, it's important to support young people to ensure that the whole community can withstand the pandemic. The governments should support and mitigate some of the stresses that can be directly amended, like the education and job security concerns.

Keywords: COVID-19; Youth; mental health; pandemic.