Worse psychological traits associated with higher probability of emotional problems during the Omicron pandemic in Tianjin, China

ABSTRACT

Background and Objectives: Individuals with specific psychological weaknesses are prone to mental problems during the coronavirus pandemic. This self-rating study assessed the combined effects of infection-related stress, resilience, worry, and loneliness on the likelihood of depression and anxiety among infected and non-infected individuals during the Tianjin Pandemic in 2022.MethodsIndividuals infected with Omicron (n = 249) and health residents (n = 415) were recruited from two hospitals and communities in Tianjin. Each respondent completed the following on-site assessment Self-developed Scale of Demographics, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), De Jong Gierveld Scale (DJGLS), and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). The respondents were categorized into depression or non-depression group by SDS scores, and anxiety or non-anxiety group by SAS scores.ResultsThe overall scores of CD-RISC, DJGJLS, and PSWQ were significantly different both between the depression group and non-depression groups and between the anxiety group and non-anxiety groups. The greater likelihood of depression was associated with lower overall scores of CD-RISC and higher scores of PSWQ; the greater likelihood of anxiety was associated with higher scores of PSWQ. The likelihood of depression was also positively associated with having infection-related stress and three demographics. (AU)