Are COVID-19’s restrictive measures associated with people’s quality of life and the prevalence of anxiety and depression in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2022.1728
Accepted: 28 May 2022
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Background. The spread of COVID-19 and the economic repercussions of several restrictive measures have worsened the lives of the Congolese and caused panic, fear, and anxiety. No study has yet examined the effect COVID-19’s restrictive measures had on the quality of life in the Congo.
Aims. The purpose of this study is to determine if the restrictive measures of COVID-19 are associated with the quality of life and the prevalence of anxiety and depression in Kinshasa.
Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seventeen Kinshasa municipalities. N=100 adults over the age of 18 were recruited (41 females, 58 males and 1 prefer not). Social Contacts Assessment (SCA), Time Use Survey (TUS), Manchester Short Assessment of quality of life (MANSA), Health status EQ-5D-3L, UCLA Loneliness Scale; Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9); General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and COVID-19 related questions were utilized. We conducted descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses.
Results suggest that depression and anxiety are more prevalent (PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores were 9.1 (SD=6.8) and 8.5 (SD=6.1) respectively). Negative associations were found between the quality of life and living alone (B=-0.35, p=0.05) and mental health decline due to COVID- 19 (B=-0.30, p=0.04). Those who described themselves as less lonely reported a higher quality of life (B=0.34, p=0.03).
Conclusions. Living alone is associated with a lower quality of life. This study fills a gap in the literature on public health in the DRC and low- and middle-income countries.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Kayonda Hubert Ngamaba, Laddy Sedzo Lombo, Israël Kenda Makopa, Joyce PanzaEkofo
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