AUTHOR=Tang Qiao , Wang Ya , Li Jing , Luo Dan , Hao Xiaoting , Xu Jiajun TITLE=Effect of Repeated Home Quarantine on Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD Symptoms in a Chinese Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.830334 DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.830334 ISSN=1664-0640 ABSTRACT=Background

Strict quarantines can prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also increase the risk of mental illness. This study examined whether the people who have experienced repeated home quarantine performance more negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a Chinese population.

Methods

We collected data from 2,514 participants in Pi County, Chengdu City, and stratified them into two groups. Group 1 comprised 1,214 individuals who were quarantined only once in early 2020, while Group 2 comprised 1,300 individuals who were quarantined in early 2020 and again in late 2020. Both groups were from the same community. The GAD-7, PHQ-9, and PCL-C scales were used to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD between the two groups.

Results

Analyses showed that total PHQ-9 scores were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p < 0.001) and the quarantine times and age are independent predictors of symptoms of depression (p < 0.001). The two groups did not differ significantly in total GAD-7 or PCL-C scores.

Conclusion

Increasing quarantine times was associated with moderate to severe depression symptoms, but not with an increase in symptoms of anxiety or PTSD.