Prevalence and risk factors of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: a systematic review (preprint)

Background The newly incepted Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global public health threat, subsequently impacting individuals’ psychological wellbeing along with the risk of physical complications. Under the circumstance, it is essential to synthesize the existing evidence on psychological consequences regarding potential implications for policymaking and practice. Thus, a systematic attempt was compiled to review the Bangladeshi literature related to common mental health problems (i.e., depression, anxiety and stress) conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods Adhering to the PRISMA guideline, a systematic literature search was performed using Scopus, Medline or PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate and Google, between 20 December 2020 and 5 March 2021, followed by predetermined eligibility criteria. The inclusion criteria for this review were observational studies concerning at least one common mental disorder (i.e., stress, depression and anxiety) prevalence and risk factors reported after the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh and being published in peer-reviewed journals or preprint servers in the English language. A total of 24 preprint and peer-reviewed articles were finally recruited after meeting the inclusion criteria.Results Out of 24 studies, utmost of the investigation was directed among the general population (n = 9), followed by diverse cohorts such as students (n = 7), healthcare professionals (n = 4), COVID-19 infected individuals (n = 1), quarantined individuals (n = 1), wage-earners (n = 1), and bankers (n = 1). However, the prevalence range of anxiety (10.6–81.8%), depression (12.1–82.4%), and stress (11.1–85.6%) were found among altogether available literature during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Moreover, the associated risk factors of mental disorders included gender, age, residence area, family size, monthly family income, educational status, marital status, physical exercise, smoking, alcohol use, personal protective equipment, fear of COVID-19, presence of chronic illness, being unemployed and exposure of COVID-19 related news and social media.Conclusions This systematic review provides baseline data on mental disorders across various Bangladeshi cohorts, which are anticipated to be helpful to the respective authorities of the country implement cohort-specific mental health strategies.

The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Bangladesh: A Population-Based Study (preprint)

Background: As with countries worldwide, lockdown measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh were sudden and unexpected, and have the capacity to elicit serious psychological consequences. The present study examined the psychological consequences of COVID-19 in Bangladesh during the lockdown period. Methods: A nationwide online cross-sectional survey study recruited 10,067 individuals covering all 64 districts in Bangladesh via social media (April 1-10, 2020). The survey comprised questions concerning socio-demographics, knowledge of COVID-19, behavior towards COVID-19, fear of COVID-19, insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation. Logistic regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed to identify the risk factors depression and suicidal ideation. Geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analysis was used to identify district-wise susceptibility to depression and suicidal ideation. Findings: The prevalence rate of depression and suicidal ideation related to COVID-19 was 33% and 5%. Common risk factors for suicidal ideation and depression included being young, being female, being a cigarette smoker, having comorbid diseases, having high scores on the Fear COVID-19 Scale, and having insomnia symptoms. GIS-based maps detected high depression and suicidal ideation in the capital of Bangladesh and the districts near the capital as well as coastal areas where COVID-19 prevalence was high, as compared with districts with no reported cases. Interpretation: COVID-19 is associated with major psychological impact across Bangladesh, underlining the need of strategically located psychological support measures and improved access to mental health services, especially among women and younger people.Funding Statement: This study received no financial support from either government or non-government organizations.Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no completing interest to this work. Ethics Approval Statement: The ethical aspects were reviewed and approved by the Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Bangladesh ethics board, Bangladesh (IRBIACIB/CEC/03202005) and Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Ethical Committee of Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Online informed consent was provided before survey participation.