Prevalence of psychological distress during COVID-19, social distancing and risk factor of ptsd among general population of pakistan: A web based survey

ABSTRACT

Aim: To examine the prevalence of psychological distress during COVID-19, social distancing and risk factor for PTSD among general population of Pakistan. Methodology: The sample was drawn from Pakistani population having access to internet, age 18 years and above, through convenient sampling. Online survey method was used for the information assortment and the scales were Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) and Impact of Event Scale (IES). Descriptive Statistics, Frequency, Percentages, Correlation and t-Test analysis were used for data analysis. Results: Results showed that women scored high on depression, anxiety, and stress scale as compared to males. Results also highlighted elevated level of anxiety in grownups and working individuals while elderly population resulted in more significant levels of stress than other subsequent groups. Another finding of the study was high level of depression among university students and individuals with already compromised quality of psychological health are prone to various psychological disturbances particularly conditions like PTSD due to other mental conditions.