1.The Psychological Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the General Population of Oman: A National Community-based Study
Saleha Al-Jadidi ; Maryam Al-Harrasi ; Norizan Mohd Kassim ; Ali Alkalbani ; Akila Muthukrishnan ; Ahmed Al-Shukaili
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2022;18(No.5):114-121
Introduction: Despite evidence that that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in general poses unprecedented
risks, it is unclear to what extent these consequences have affected the mental health of the general population. This
study aims to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the general population in Oman
and to associate the physical health status and psychological impact. Methods: A cross-sectional online anonymous
survey in which 831 adults from Oman’s general population were randomly sampled as per the inclusion criteria.
The medical research and ethics commission approved the project. Data were collected after obtaining informed
consent from the study participants. The criteria of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders was used to measure the psychological impact. Results: Among 831 respondents in this
study, only 4.2 % and 14.9 % of total participants reported depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. There
is a statistically significant difference in psychological scores between males and females at the p < .05 level: F (1,
829) = 16.03, p < .001. As a result of this discovery, it appears that women are mentally affected by the pandemic.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic has had a severe impact on the general population’s psychological health in
Oman. This survey found that the global health crisis has a psychological impact on most of the adult population,
regardless of their age. As a result, early detection, urgent medical intervention, and counseling are required.