Frontiers in Psychiatry (May 2022)

Effect of Repeated Home Quarantine on Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD Symptoms in a Chinese Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study

  • Qiao Tang,
  • Ya Wang,
  • Jing Li,
  • Dan Luo,
  • Xiaoting Hao,
  • Jiajun Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.830334
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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BackgroundStrict quarantines can prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also increase the risk of mental illness. This study examined whether the people who have experienced repeated home quarantine performance more negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a Chinese population.MethodsWe collected data from 2,514 participants in Pi County, Chengdu City, and stratified them into two groups. Group 1 comprised 1,214 individuals who were quarantined only once in early 2020, while Group 2 comprised 1,300 individuals who were quarantined in early 2020 and again in late 2020. Both groups were from the same community. The GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PCL-C scales were used to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD between the two groups.ResultsAnalyses showed that total PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p < 0.001) and the quarantine times and age are independent predictors of symptoms of depression (p < 0.001). The two groups did not differ significantly in total GAD-7 or PCL-C scores.ConclusionIncreasing quarantine times was associated with moderate to severe depression symptoms, but not with an increase in symptoms of anxiety or PTSD.

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