Anxiety among the general population during Coronavirus-19 Disease in Saudi Arabia: Implications for a Mental Support Program

  1. Salman H. Alsaqri
  2. Mohannad J. Alkwiese
  3. Mohammed K. Aldalaykeh
  4. Mada Ibrahim Hamzi
  5. Mada Mousa Mahdi
  6. Zainab M. Shafie

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Abstract

Background

The 2019 outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an worldwide health emergency that threatens mental health of general public. Research data are required to establish evidence-based approaches to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety during the outbreak. This study aimed to survey the general public in Saudi Arabia to help in understanding their levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods

The researchers performed an on-line survey using snowball sampling methods from April 1 through April 10, 2020. The online survey collected demographics information data, while the Social Anxiety Questionnaire for Adults (SAQ-A30) was used to measure anxiety level.

Results

This study consisted of 709 respondents from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The general population reported mild to moderate rates of anxiety. Married respondents were associated with a significantly higher level of anxiety (p<0.05).

Conclusions

The respondents reported mild to moderate anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Implication for practice

The results of this study identify the implications to lower levels of anxiety that may be used during the COVID-19 outbreak to develop mental health support programs to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups.

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  1. ScreenIT

    SciScore for 10.1101/2020.05.07.20090225: (What is this?)

    Please note, not all rigor criteria are appropriate for all manuscripts.

    Table 1: Rigor

    Institutional Review Board StatementConsent: The first section includes the cover letter form and the consent form and the demographic sheet describing the purpose and procedures of the study, while the second section includes the social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ-A30)
    IRB: Acceptance of expedited ethics was received from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Hail (H-2020-080).
    Randomizationnot detected.
    Blindingnot detected.
    Power AnalysisIn order to conduct a power analysis for this study, the G*power software was used to suppose sample size, suppose 0.95 power with an alpha error of 0.05 and a medium effect size of (0.5), the total sample size will require 700 subjects to have confidence in the findings.
    Sex as a biological variableIndependent t-test was used to examine the difference in the mean score of SAQ-A30 between male and female, and between married and unmarried.

    Table 2: Resources

    Software and Algorithms
    SentencesResources
    In order to conduct a power analysis for this study, the G*power software was used to suppose sample size, suppose 0.95 power with an alpha error of 0.05 and a medium effect size of (0.5), the total sample size will require 700 subjects to have confidence in the findings.
    G*power
    suggested: (G*Power, RRID:SCR_013726)
    Statistical Analysis: The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (IBM SPSS Statistics 25) was used to describe the study sample characteristics and determine the mean level of SAQ-A30.
    SPSS
    suggested: (SPSS, RRID:SCR_002865)

    Results from OddPub: We did not detect open data. We also did not detect open code. Researchers are encouraged to share open data when possible (see Nature blog).

    Results from LimitationRecognizer: We detected the following sentences addressing limitations in the study:
    There are some limitations to the study. Given the limited resources available and the time-sensitivity of the COVID-19 epidemic, the researchers adopted the snowball sampling technique. Sampling technique of snowballing was not based on a random sample collection, and the population studied did not represent the present trend of the general population. Additionally, a prospective analysis on the same group of participants after a period would be appropriate. The researchers were not allowed to obtain contact details and personal data from the respondents because of ethical standards on anonymity and confidentiality. As a result, we could not perform a prospective analysis that would support the need for a focused public health program. Another limitation is that self-reported anxiety of levels may not always be associated with the mental health professionals’ evaluation. This study’s findings may be used as a historical reference point. More significantly, the results specifically advise the creation of mental support programs that can reduce anxiety during COVID-19 epidemic and provide a context for evaluating prevention, control, and treatment efforts during the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, which is still ongoing at the time of preparation of this study.

    Results from TrialIdentifier: No clinical trial numbers were referenced.

    Results from Barzooka: We did not find any issues relating to the usage of bar graphs.

    Results from JetFighter: We did not find any issues relating to colormaps.

    Results from rtransparent:
    • Thank you for including a conflict of interest statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • Thank you for including a funding statement. Authors are encouraged to include this statement when submitting to a journal.
    • No protocol registration statement was detected.

    About SciScore

    SciScore is an automated tool that is designed to assist expert reviewers by finding and presenting formulaic information scattered throughout a paper in a standard, easy to digest format. SciScore checks for the presence and correctness of RRIDs (research resource identifiers), and for rigor criteria such as sex and investigator blinding. For details on the theoretical underpinning of rigor criteria and the tools shown here, including references cited, please follow this link.

  2. Version published to 10.1101/2020.05.07.20090225v1 on medRxiv