An evaluation of the psychological impact of COVID‐19 and the precautionary measure of social isolation on adults in the Asir region, Saudi Arabia

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) outbreak has had a profound psychological impact on university undergraduates. Feelings, behavioral actions, and depressive symptoms related to COVID-19 in undergraduates in Hail, Saudi Arabia, were assessed using an online survey. Eighteen feelings and six behavioral acts were assessed. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptomatology. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression techniques were used. The mean age of the participants (n = 418) was 20.2 years (standard deviation (SD) = 1.8 years), and 52.9% (n = 221) were males. Elevated levels of depressive symptoms were reported by 47.1% of male and 51.3% of female participants. Social isolation, loss of interest, obsessive monitoring of symptoms, concentration difficulties, recurrent negative thoughts, and worries about health services emerged as vital negative feelings related to COVID-19 that were expressed by the participants. Younger age (odds ratio (OR) = 0.636, confidence interval (CI) = 0.428–0.946) and coming from the middle-income category (OR = 0.388, CI = 0.151–0.994) were found to be protective factors against developing depressive symptoms. Frequent cleaning of hands, wearing masks when going out, and adherence to social distancing rules were practiced by 71.5% (95% CI = 67.2%–75.8%), 78.7% (95% CI = (74.4%–82.5%) and 66.0% (95% CI = (61.3%–70.5%) of the participants, respectively. These behavioral acts were not associated with the development of depressive symptoms. Although the practice of COVID-19 precautionary measures by the participants was satisfactory, nearly half of the participants reported depressive symptoms. Innovative educational strategies are needed to curb concentration difficulties and social isolation experienced by undergraduates during outbreaks such as COVID-19.

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The psychological impact of COVID-19 in Canada: Effects of social isolation during the initial response.

Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne ◽

10.1037/cap0000254 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lisa A. Best ◽

Moira A. Law ◽

Sean Roach ◽

Jonathan M. P. Wilbiks

Keyword(s):

Social Isolation ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Initial Response

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Premature mortality in the neonatal intensive care unit at Asir region, Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries ◽

10.24911/ijmdc.51-1579428077 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 806-808

Author(s):

Youssef Alqahtani ◽

Amani Abuhassan ◽

Meead Aldail ◽

Nouf Shahrani ◽

Norah Alkahtani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

Asir Region

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Proposing receiver operating characteristic-based sensitivity analysis with introducing swarm optimized ensemble learning algorithms for groundwater potentiality modelling in Asir region, Saudi Arabia

Geocarto International ◽

10.1080/10106049.2021.1878291 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-28

Author(s):

Javed Mallick ◽

Swapan Talukdar ◽

Majed Alsubhi ◽

Mohd. Ahmed ◽

Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity Analysis ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽

Ensemble Learning ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Learning Algorithms ◽

Groundwater Potentiality ◽

Asir Region ◽

Receiver Operating

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COVID-19 Psychological Impact on Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18116076 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6076

Author(s):

Hasan S. Alamri ◽

Wesam F. Mousa ◽

Abdullah Algarni ◽

Shehata F. Megahid ◽

Ali Al Bshabshe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Psychological Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.

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Using Design Thinking Principles to Improve Outpatients’ Experiences in Hospital Pharmacies: A Case Study of Two Hospitals in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9070854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 854

Author(s):

Dalia Almaghaslah ◽

Abdulrhman Alsayari ◽

Saleh Ali Alyahya ◽

Rana Alshehri ◽

Khawlah Alqadi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Problem Solving ◽

Management System ◽

Design Thinking ◽

Queue Management ◽

End User ◽

Study Results ◽

Hospital Pharmacies ◽

Asir Region

Introduction: Design thinking, an innovative problem-solving approach, has gained wide popularity in healthcare disciplines. The aim of this work is to improve outpatients’ experiences in hospital pharmacies in two hospitals in Asir region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The design thinking approach, adopted from Stanford University’s D-School, was used in this study. Results: Several problems were identified: lack of comfortable environment in the pharmacies’ waiting area, lack of a queue management system, and workflow inefficiencies related to ordering and supplies of medicines. A prototype was proposed to overcome these challenges. Discussion and Conclusion: The design thinking approach helped in identifying end-user (patients visiting outpatient pharmacies) values and desires and provided an understanding of their struggles. It also proposed tailored solutions that could improve patients’ experiences while using the services of the outpatient pharmacies.

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Perception of Threat and Psychological Impact of COVID-19 among Expatriates in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126650 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6650

Author(s):

Majed A. Algarni ◽

Mohammad S. Alzahrani ◽

Yasser Alatawi ◽

Raghad A. Alasmari ◽

Hashem O. Alsaab ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Self Report ◽

Future Research ◽

Perceived Threat ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

Arabic Speakers ◽

Perception Of Threat

In the first few months of the pandemic, Makkah region reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases among all regions in Saudi Arabia. More than 80% of these reported cases were non-Saudi residents. In this study, we evaluated the perceived threat from and psychological impact of COVID-19 among non-Saudi residents of Makkah region. This was a cross-sectional analysis of data collected using a standardized self-report questionnaire. A total of 292 expatriates were included in the study, the majority of whom were non-Arabic speakers. The prevalence of self-reported depression was nearly 40%, anxiety was 32%, and stress was 43%. The findings indicated variability in the prevalence of psychological symptoms among expatriates from different ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, work environment and perceived threat were strong predictors of psychological disorders. This suggested that the perceived threat from and psychological burden of COVID-19 among non-Saudis in Makkah region is substantial. Future research should investigate the reasons behind these variations in the psychological impact of the pandemic among different ethnic groups.

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Microearthquakes in the Tihamat-Asir region of Saudi Arabia

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America ◽

10.1785/bssa0700062291 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

pp. 2291-2293

Author(s):

H. M. Merghelani ◽

S. K. Gallanthine

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Continental Crust ◽

Red Sea ◽

Fault Plane ◽

Seismic Refraction ◽

Earthquake Hazard ◽

Tectonic Activity ◽

Fault Plane Solutions ◽

High Level ◽

Asir Region

abstract During the course of a seismic refraction investigation in Saudi Arabia, an unexpected high level of microearthquake activity was detected near the border of the Red Sea and near the transition from oceanic to continental crust. The data is not adequate to determine fault plane solutions nor to relate the earthquakes to specific structures, but the existence of microearthquakes at this location suggest that there is a significant level of tectonic activity at a point 200 km from an axial trough of the Red Sea. These data, combined with other recent geological observations, may be an important clue to the understanding of continental rifting. The data suggest the need for a more thorough investigation of the earthquake hazard along the shores of the Red Sea.

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