Depression and Generalized Anxiety as Long-Term Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with a variety of psychiatric symptoms. However, COVID-19's association with psychiatric symptoms after the acute illness phase is not fully understood. Thus, this study sought to examine symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety and associated factors in the period following COVID-19 infection. A cross-sectional study design was conducted in three governorates of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Face-to-face interviews were held between the period of 15 September and 20 December 2021 with both those who had been infected with COVID-19 and those who had not. Depression symptomology was assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and levels of anxiety were measured using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale. A total of 727 participants were recruited. The bulk of the respondents (n = 454) reported having a past COVID-19 infection, of whom a considerable proportion (82%) had mild-moderate symptoms. More than half of the infected respondents (53.3%) stated they were treated at home. The mean score of generalized anxiety was higher among the infected group compared to the non-infected group t(725) = 2.538, p = 0.011. Factors such as older age, female gender, unemployment, previous psychological problems, and diabetes mellitus were strongly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety post-COVID-19 infection. Additionally, anxiety was associated with a longer duration of post-COVID symptoms. The majority of the study population had mild to moderate levels of post-COVID-19 depression and anxiety. Psychological education and interventions are required to reduce the psychological burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms among the general population.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitancy and refusal among Iraqi Kurdish population.

OBJECTIVES: Vaccination is one of the most significant public health achievements of humanity. However, a significant portion of the population remains hesitant about vaccine safety, efficacy, and necessity. This study aimed to determine COVID-19 vaccination intention and factors affecting their decision among the general population in the Kurdistan region, Iraq. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online during (April-May 2021), and a total of 1171 participants provided complete and valid answers were enrolled. Data collection was done through online questionnaire through Google Forms. We used binary regression analysis to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination intention. RESULTS: The majority (53.6%) of the participants were female. Willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccine was low (33 %) of the participants. We found that vaccine hesitancy/resistance was high which was evident for (32%) and (34.9%) of surveyed populations, respectively. Vaccination intention may associate with age, education, and occupation. Furthermore, several factors were associated with hesitancy/resistance: Adverse effects of the vaccine and loss of family members during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the study participants refused or were hesitant to have the COVID-19 vaccine, so that Governments and health authorities should improve communication and increase trust.