Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health

The COVID-19 coronavirus, an infectious disease originating in Wuhan, has become an outbreak worldwide, leading to unprecedented measures restricting social and physical activities in many countries. The subsequent social distancing of COVID-19 has significantly resulted in many psychological conseq...

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Main Authors: Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah, Ismail, Sumarni, Najm, Ahmed, Ismail, Nurhilmiyani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2023
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/1/Effect%20of%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20and%20Subsequent%20Social%20Distancing%20on%20Individual%27s%20Mental%20Health.pdf
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author Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah
Ismail, Sumarni
Najm, Ahmed
Ismail, Nurhilmiyani
author_facet Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah
Ismail, Sumarni
Najm, Ahmed
Ismail, Nurhilmiyani
author_sort Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The COVID-19 coronavirus, an infectious disease originating in Wuhan, has become an outbreak worldwide, leading to unprecedented measures restricting social and physical activities in many countries. The subsequent social distancing of COVID-19 has significantly resulted in many psychological consequences. The current study examines the impact of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health symptoms of Selangor State, Malaysia residents. An online survey was conducted through social media platforms targeting residents of Selangor State in Malaysia. A convenience sampling method was led to include 258 respondents in the study. The questionnaire on the symptoms of mental health related to fear of COVID-19 included 13 items developed from the existing studies. The results showed that symptoms of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19 are negatively associated with the likelihood of social interaction. The overall score of symptoms of mental health related to the fear of COVID-19 showed moderate symptoms of mental problems related to the fear of COVID-19. The factor of age was also associated with higher symptomatology of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19. Thus, related measures and guidelines must consider the mental well-being of the at-risk person as the pandemic continues. The current study’s findings contribute to the knowledge gaps in behavioural health during biological disasters. It also provides a reference for professionals and policymakers to develop programs and measures to handle the psychosocial status of the affected people.
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spelling upm-1075392024-10-17T07:09:47Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/ Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah Ismail, Sumarni Najm, Ahmed Ismail, Nurhilmiyani The COVID-19 coronavirus, an infectious disease originating in Wuhan, has become an outbreak worldwide, leading to unprecedented measures restricting social and physical activities in many countries. The subsequent social distancing of COVID-19 has significantly resulted in many psychological consequences. The current study examines the impact of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health symptoms of Selangor State, Malaysia residents. An online survey was conducted through social media platforms targeting residents of Selangor State in Malaysia. A convenience sampling method was led to include 258 respondents in the study. The questionnaire on the symptoms of mental health related to fear of COVID-19 included 13 items developed from the existing studies. The results showed that symptoms of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19 are negatively associated with the likelihood of social interaction. The overall score of symptoms of mental health related to the fear of COVID-19 showed moderate symptoms of mental problems related to the fear of COVID-19. The factor of age was also associated with higher symptomatology of mental health problems related to fear of COVID-19. Thus, related measures and guidelines must consider the mental well-being of the at-risk person as the pandemic continues. The current study’s findings contribute to the knowledge gaps in behavioural health during biological disasters. It also provides a reference for professionals and policymakers to develop programs and measures to handle the psychosocial status of the affected people. Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2023-09-22 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/1/Effect%20of%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20and%20Subsequent%20Social%20Distancing%20on%20Individual%27s%20Mental%20Health.pdf Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah and Ismail, Sumarni and Najm, Ahmed and Ismail, Nurhilmiyani (2023) Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health. Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 31 (3). pp. 1057-1077. ISSN 0128-7702; ESSN: 2231-8534 http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/pjssh/browse/regular-issue?article=JSSH-8539-2021 10.47836/pjssh.31.3.08
spellingShingle Abdulkareem Salih, Sarah
Ismail, Sumarni
Najm, Ahmed
Ismail, Nurhilmiyani
Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title_full Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title_fullStr Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title_full_unstemmed Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title_short Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
title_sort effect of the covid-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing on individual's mental health
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107539/1/Effect%20of%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20and%20Subsequent%20Social%20Distancing%20on%20Individual%27s%20Mental%20Health.pdf