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?


Submitted: 11 November 2020
Accepted: 28 May 2022
Published: 26 October 2022
Abstract Views: 320
PDF: 213
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Authors

  • Kayonda Hubert Ngamaba International Centre for Mental Health Social Research, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
  • Laddy Sedzo Lombo Centre Spécialisé dans la Prise en charge Psychosociale en Santé Mentale (CSPEMRDC), Université Chrétienne de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the.
  • Israël Kenda Makopa Centre Spécialisé dans la Prise en charge Psychosociale en Santé Mentale (CSPEMRDC), Université Chrétienne de Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the.
  • Joyce PanzaEkofo Social Work and International Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, United States.

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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Ngamaba, K. H., Lombo, L. S., Makopa, I. K., & PanzaEkofo, J. (2022). 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?. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2022.1728

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