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The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and confinement period on a tunisian sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

M. Bejar
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, R05es10, Faculty Of Medicine Of Monastir, Tunisia, Psychiatry Department, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, monastir, Tunisia
B. Ben Mohamed*
Affiliation:
Psychiatry, Faculty of medicine of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia
N. Faouel
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, R05es10, Faculty Of Medicine Of Monastir, Tunisia, Psychiatry Department, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, monastir, Tunisia
R. Belhadj Ali
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, R05es10, Faculty Of Medicine Of Monastir, Tunisia, Psychiatry Department, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, monastir, Tunisia
F. Zaafrane
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, R05es10, Faculty Of Medicine Of Monastir, Tunisia, Psychiatry Department, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, monastir, Tunisia
L. Gaha
Affiliation:
Research Laboratory, R05es10, Faculty Of Medicine Of Monastir, Tunisia, Psychiatry Department, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, monastir, Tunisia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019, is now a global pandemic that has spread rapidly causing many deaths. Most countries have opted for compulsory confinement which had repercussions on mental health and well-being.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to assess mental health consequences during the confinement period.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study of 360 Tunisians in April and May 2020. We used an anonymous E-questionnaire that included a socio-demographic fact sheet, The HAD questionnaire, and a Q-EDD questionnaire to explore eating disorders.

Results

The subjects of our sample were mostly males with a mean age of 31. The body mass index was 25.5 (range 16.10 -46.24), 15% suffered from obesity. Half of the subjects were single and 6.7% spent the confinement time alone. 11.1% were smokers while 4.4% were alcohol users. The HAD-A and the HAD-D scores had an average of 9.1 and 8.48 respectively.A pathological threshold of anxiety and depression was found in 20% and 30% of the sample respectively.15% had an eating disorder: 76% had binge eating, 20% had bulimia and 17% had anorexia. In our study, we found an association between eating disorder and obesity, single marital status (p=0.007), living alone (p=0.001), history of depression (p=0.046), anxiety (p=0.049) and depression (p=0.038).

Conclusions

Reduced social interactions, decreased physical activity and increased stress are potentially harmful causes for our brain. Confining the population for several weeks has a negative impact on our physical and mental health. A crisis unit has been formed in Tunisia to help subjects overcome these psychological difficulties.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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