Mental Well-being and Loneliness Among Residents of Karachi During the Second Lockdown of COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Covid-19 emerged as a global pandemic and its catastrophic effects have been felt throughout the world. The pandemic has caused a serious impact on mental health and loneliness of the people. The aim of the present research was to analyze the impact of the Covid-19 on the psychological health of residents of Karachi during the second lockdown. Method: It was a cross-sectional study conducted during the second wave of corona virus via an online survey, in which 380 persons participated. The survey consists of questions for the assessment of symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress by using DAAS-21 scale and for the questions related to loneliness, the UCLA-3 Item Loneliness Scale was used. Participants were selected by convenient and snow ball sampling method. Results: The results revealed that the psychological health was affected by the lockdown. It is also highlighted that women experienced more stress, anxiety, and depression than men and there is also significant difference between men and women in terms of loneliness. Conclusion: During the second lock down in Karachi the residents suffered from moderate level of depression, severe level of stress and mild level of anxiety. It is also evident that men have experienced less psychological impact of COVID 19 pandemic and with low level of loneliness than women. The outbreak of this pandemic indicates the need to pay greater attention to this issue to prevent and reduce the psychological outcomes of the pandemic.