1 in 3 adults anxious, depressed due to pandemic: Study

A study published in the journal, PLOS ONE has revealed that one in every three adults are experiencing psychological distress induced by Covid-19. And this condition is found to have more frequency among women, younger adults, people living in rural areas, people with high risks of infection and lower socioeconomic status.

The study underlined the higher probability of women experiencing psychological agony than their male counterpart. This reflection supports other global studies which identified the higher vulnerability of women towards anxiety and depression. The researchers including Tazeen Jafar from the Duke-NUS in Singapore observed that "The lower social status of women and less preferential access to healthcare compared to men could potentially be responsible for the exaggerated and adverse psychosocial impact on women".

The study confirmed and correlated the association between longer media exposure and high odds of anxiety and depression. "This can be the reason for the higher count of anxiety and depression among younger adults," the study noted. In addition, the presence of better family and social support are found to have reduced the risk pf psychological distress.

The research team had performed a meta-analysis of 68 studies conducted during the pandemic, encompassing 2,88,830 participants from 19 countries.