INTRODUCTION

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a public health emergency of

global concern, first appeared in Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019. By
February 9 of the following year, it had spread to 24 other countries and had
infected 37,558 patients worldwide (including 37,251 in China). The COVID-19
outbreak in China has affected medical staff in Wuhan as well as the general public
in China, Japan, and other countries that are affected. The mental health of
employees who are significantly impacted by the COVID-19 is the main topic of this
study. Stress and mental exhaustion were reported by the public health
professionals. Along with the worry about contracting an infection while providing
services, public health professionals and university employees also struggled with
work overload, pressure to learn new technologies, and webinar fatigue. In order to
encourage psychological crisis intervention for patients, medical personnel, people
who are being observed by doctors, and civilians during the COVID-19 outbreak,
the National Health Commission has released guidelines for local authorities.
However, it is unknown what kinds of mental illnesses are common and how they
are distributed among the population. Therefore, a quick evaluation of mental
disorders linked to outbreaks in both the general public and among medical
personnel is required. The current study's objectives are to describe the prevalence
and distribution of two major mental disorders—anxiety and depression—among the
Chinese population and to investigate whether social media use during the COVID-
19 outbreak is associated with either condition. The WHO emphasized the
importance of identifying the underlying causes of the fear, anxiety, and stigma
that feed rumors and false information, particularly on social media. According to
earlier research, media exposure to mass trauma can increase the rates of early
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.

METHODS

- Online research was done for this cross-sectional survey between January
31 and February 2, 2020. Chinese citizens aged 18 and above were invited to
participate in the online survey through the Wenjuanxing Platform. The poll
involved 5,851 participants, but only 4,872 completed the questionnaires.
Participants came from 31 provinces and autonomous regions involved in the
current study. The WHO-5 and GAD-7 scales were used to evaluate mental health
issues. In the first section of the online survey, written consent was given to all
participants before they filled out the questionnaire. The frequency with which
respondents were exposed to news and information regarding COVID-19 on social
media was used to gauge their level of social media exposure. The study included
covariates including gender, age, educational level, marital status, self-related
health, occupation, cities, and location. This study has been approved by the
Institutional Review Board of Fudan University, School of Public Health
RESULTS

- More than 60% of 4827 participants, with a mean age of 32.3 years for
social media exposure, were female, and 47.9% of them were between the ages of
21 and 30. Men were less likely than women to use social media frequently, and
younger people were more likely to use it than elderly individuals. Those with
higher education had higher exposure proportions than individuals of lower
education. The frequency of anxiety and depression together was 19.4%.
Depression had a percentage of 48.3% and was more common in people aged 21 to
40 than in those aged 20 and under. The likelihood of depression increased as the
self-rated health significantly declined. Depression was less likely to affect single
people than married people. Despite having a proportion of 22.6%, anxiety is more
prevalent in people in their 30s and 40s than in youngsters under 20. In
comparison to people who are exposed to social media less frequently, frequent
exposure to it can raise the adjusted probabilities of anxiety.

DISCUSSION

The results showed how the COVID-19 outbreak led people to have and
develop problems in their mental state. It also stated how social media impacted
the spread of information updating the situation of the COVID-19 outbreak in
Wuhan, China. Additionally, the result of the lockdown and set quarantine
restrictions led citizens to have to stay at home, elevating the fear and worries felt
and thus have caused mental health problems among them. Thus, this led to the
Chinese government providing several services for citizens to have a good mental
state while the pandemic was ongoing.

Members:

Cataluna, Mary Marceille – Result

Ermac, Christian Dave - Introduction
Oliva, Mae Ann – Leader - Method
Sugue, Aaron Earl - Discussion