The psychological impact of quarantine on patients with COVID-19 at the lockdown center of Monastir (Tunisia)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unpredicted health crisis. Patients with covid-19 staying at a lockdown center are exposed to major psychological distress and need appropriate care. In our study, we were interested in COVID-19 patients, staying at a Tunisian lockdown center to evaluate the psychological repercussions of getting infected by COVID-19 and being placed in quarantine. Data collected was about the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Psychological distress was assessed by the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21)))in the Arabic version. Qualitative variables were described using frequencies and quantitative ones were described using means and standard deviations (DS). A comparison of sociodemographic variables between COVID-19 patients was performed through a T-test and one away ANOVA. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to identify the variables independently associated with the DASS-21 score. A total of 148 patients were recruited. The mean age was 41.39, and the sex ratio was 1.17. The stay in the lockdown center was 35.86 days with extremes ranging from 7 to 86 days. 79.7 % of participants were asymptomatic while 20.3 % of them were symptomatic. According to DASS-21 scores, 74.3 % of participants were not depressed and 64.9 % among them were not anxious. In addition, mild to moderate types of depression, anxiety and stress were more frequent than severe and extremely severe types. Several factors were significantly associated with psychological distress like the misjudgment of physical and mental health and the fear of being contagious. The female gender and the length of stay in the lockdown center were significantly associated with anxiety and depression. Age over 41 years old, physical illnesses, and symptoms of COVID-19 were significantly associated with the severity of psychological distress. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unpredictable global crisis that is far from being a simple health crisis with repercussions on all dimensions of life. It had negatively impacted the economy, environment, social interactions, cultural life, and our physical health and mental health. Thus, multidisciplinary interventions after the period of infection are strongly recommended.