The Psychological Impact of COVID-19: A Comparative Analysis of Pre-Lockdown and During-Lockdown Periods Among Saudi General Population.

Background: Prior research has revealed substantial psychological impacts of COVID-19 among the general population. However, there is a noticeable gap in studies addressing the enduring anxiety levels before and during lockdown periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: The study assessed and compared the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic before and during lockdown periods among the general population in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A validated and reliable General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 instrument was used to quantify stress levels by measuring anxiety. Nonprobability snowball sampling was used to collect data from 516 participants residing in Saudi Arabia. The difference in scores for each of the seven related questions of GAD-7 was determined using a non-parametric Wilcoxon rank test.

Results: A mild level of anxiety was consistently observed both before and during the lockdown, as indicated by GAD-7 scores of 6.17 (SD = 5.5) before the lockdown and 6.42 (SD = 5.7) during the lockdown. There were no differences in GAD-7 scores before 6.17 (SD = 5.5) and during 6.42 (SD = 5.7) the lockdown periods. However, levels of moderate anxiety increased by 5% during the lockdown period. Anxiety levels before and during lockdown were significantly associated with gender (χ2 (3, n = 516) =11.23 p = 0.01) and employment status (χ2 (3, n = 516) = 9.41 p = 0.024). Among the GAD-7 questionnaire items, item number 1 ("Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge") (p= 0.00) and item number 7 ("Feeling afraid as if something awful might happen") (p= 0.025) showed a significant association with anxiety levels before and during the lockdown periods.

Conclusion: The enduring prevalence of mild anxiety, persisting both before and during the lockdown periods, underscores the profound impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general population in Saudi Arabia.