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Published on: June 30, 2014
The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Persons with Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia
Ahmed N Alshammari1, Khalid A Alshammari1, Salman N Alshammari1
1From the Internal Medicine Department (Alshammari A), College of Medicine, College of Medicine (Alshammari K, Alshammari S, Aldhaifi S), From Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department (Alqahtani), College of Medicine, University of Hail, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Objectives:
To evaluate, in a Saudi Arabian context, how the COVID-19 pandemic psychologically impacted persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was undertaken during the period from October 2021 to March 2022. 738 participants resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) completed a self-administered online questionnaire. The research focused on persons diagnosed with MS.
Results:
Participant ages spanned from 18 to over 55. The mean was 36.1±12.9 years old. Four hundred eighty-nine (66.3%) of the 738 participants were female. Two hundred sixty-four (35.8%) were single. Four hundred twelve (55.8%) were married. Six hundred eighty-five (92.8%) had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Regarding MS duration, 117 (15.9%) had been diagnosed for less than 2 years, 171 (23.2%) for 2-5 years, while 251 (34%) had the condition for 10 or more years. Regarding psychological health, 11.2% of participants complained of minimal/no depression, 33.3% of mild depression, 28.3% of moderate depression, and 27.1% of moderately severe to severe depression symptoms. Concerning anxiety, 17.2% of participants reported minimal anxiety, 36.9% mild, 23.3% moderate, while 22.6% suffered from severe anxiety symptoms.
Conclusion:
A high prevalence of depression and anxiety was found, along with high prevalence of co-occurrence of these disorders among PwMS.
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