Data for: Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Mental Health among Albanian People Residing in the Country and Abroad – Implications for Mental Care

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease caused by the novel coronavirus Covid-19 is a current worldwide outbreak. The use of quarantine and isolation proved effective in containing the spread of infection. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the mental health of Albanian people residing in the country and abroad during the quarantine period for the Covid-19 pandemic. DESIGN: This study was carried out from 25th March – 20th April 2020 through a web survey shared on social networks. The goal was to reach at least the minimum sample size for cross-sectional studies. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess mental health. Chi-square (χ2) and Fisher –Exact test were used to assess the statistical significance among variables. P values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 715 participants were included in the final analyses (78.41% females and 21.53% males). Most were residents in Albania (80.41%) and the others resided mainly in Italy (6.89%), Greece (3.51%), Germany (2.43%), Kosovo (1.62%) and the UK (1.69%). Statistical association was found between gender, country of residency and measures taken. Summary score of PHQ-9 items was 6.4662. The total score of depression classification shows that 31.82% and 12.90% of participants have respectively mild and moderate depression. Female participants showed the highest score for some items of PHQ-9, p≤0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that health care professionals should recognize and address mental health problems associated with Covid-19 especially in vulnerable groups. Acting in a timely and proper manner is essential in preventing these problems from becoming chronic.

背景：由新型冠状病毒 Covid-19 引起的冠状病毒病目前在全球范围内爆发。隔离和隔离措施的使用已被证明在遏制感染传播方面是有效的。目标：本横断面研究的目的是评估在新冠疫情期间，居住在国内和国外的阿尔巴尼亚人的心理健康状况。设计：本研究于 2020 年 3 月 25 日至 4 月 20 日通过在社交网络上分享的网络调查进行。目标是达到横断面研究的最小样本量。使用患者健康问卷（PHQ-9）评估心理健康。采用卡方（χ2）检验和 Fisher 精确检验来评估变量之间的统计显著性。P 值 ≤0.05 被认为是统计显著的。结果：最终分析中包括 715 名参与者（女性占 78.41%，男性占 21.53%）。大多数参与者居住在阿尔巴尼亚（80.41%），其余主要居住在意大利（6.89%）、希腊（3.51%）、德国（2.43%）、科索沃（1.62%）和英国（1.69%）。性别、居住国和采取的措施之间存在统计关联。PHQ-9 项目的总结分数为 6.4662。抑郁分类的总分显示，31.82% 和 12.90% 的参与者分别患有轻度和中度抑郁。女性参与者在 PHQ-9 的一些项目上得分最高，p≤0.05。结论：研究结果提示，医疗保健专业人员应识别并解决与 Covid-19 相关的心理健康问题，尤其是在易受伤害的群体中。及时并恰当地采取行动对于防止这些问题发展为慢性病至关重要。