Anxiety, depression, COVID-19 anxiety, and the effects of hospital environment on patients presenting to dermatology outpatient clinic during the pandemic

Background: The World Health Organization has defined the COVID-19 infection as a pandemic. Anxiety and depression are emphasized to increase with the pandemic. Aims: The current study aimed to identify anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 anxiety of patients who presented to the dermatology outpatient clinic and the effects of hospital environment on them during the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was applied, including questions about the sociodemographic characteristics, the state of being hesitant about transmission of COVID-19 infection in hospital, pandemic-associated attitudes in hospital, persons and hospital sites thought to be risky for transmission of the infection, opinion about tele-dermatology, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI1, STAI2), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the COVID-19 Anxiety Scales (CAS). The diagnoses of skin disorders were recorded after examinations. Results: The study included 458 patients (60.7% females, the mean age was 31.8 years) who presented to the dermatology outpatient clinic in March 2021. Of patients, 64.7% rated their hesitancy as moderate and higher about the transmission of the COVID-19 infection in hospital. With the STAI1 scale, the rate of moderate and severe anxiety was 47.6%; with the HADS, the rate of anxiety was 26.6%; with the HADS, the rate of depression was 37.3%; and with the CAS, the rate of anxiety due to COVID-19 was 3.9%. Conclusion: Dermatology patients should be evaluated to be adversely affected at least as much as the other members of the society. Patients found the hospital environment risky in terms of the transmission of COVID-19 infection, creating an additional stress factor.