The Psychological and Physiological Responses in Population Exposed to COVID-2019 Pandemic

Volume 3 - Issue 1

Ahmed Bani Mustafa¹* and Ali AL Mazari²

Received: July 21, 2020;   Published: August 07, 2020

DOI: 10.26717/CTBB.MS.ID.000155

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Abstract

Covid-19 has caused more than half a million deaths with more than ten million infections, as of late June 2020. Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic contributes to widespread psychological stressors with greater vulnerabilities of psychiatric illnesses, mounting serious challenges to mental health services. The psychological stimulus or stressors are expected to differ from the physiological reactivity, and the connection in the context of COVID-19 is still inconspicuous. Therefore, this paper attempts to uncover how the psychological stressors (emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and belief) contribute to the physiological changes in populations exposed to COVID-19. In this cross-sectional study, 355 adults living in remote and highly populated areas completed an online survey to evaluate the physiological and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic between the 20th and 30th of March 2020 in Irbid governorate, Jordan. The survey was uploaded online via Google Surveys and a link was distributed using WhatsApp and Facebook networks; we engaged active online community groups and leaders to validate this work and reach more audiences during the pandemic. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression analysis to explore the data; Stepwise multiple linear regression is used to depict the effect of psychological on the physiological status. The findings explain that the overall physiological factor is significantly and positively correlated (at 1% level) with all psychological factors (Emotional, Behavioural, Cognitive, and belief). The highest correlation was with the emotional factor with a correlation of 0.68 (p <0.001) and the least correlated factor was cognitive with a correlation of 0.39. Those findings interpret that assessment, prevention, and treatment efforts of psychopathology including screening for mental health and psychological problems should focus on those groups with more emotional reactions and provide them with exceptional support to avoid acquiring further adverse physiological risks.

Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, Psychological and physiological Effects, Emotional and Behavioral Responses, Collective Trauma, Regression Analysis.

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