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Psychoeconomic Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the General Population in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2023

Amal Khaleel Abu Alhommos ,
Abdallah Y. Naser Open the ORCID record for Abdallah Y. Naser [Opens in a new window]  and
Loay Khalil Abu Alhommous
Amal Khaleel Abu Alhommos*
Affiliation:
Pharmacy Practice Department, Clinical Pharmacy College, King Faisal University, Alhasa, Saudi Arabia
Abdallah Y. Naser
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Isra University, Amman, Jordan
Loay Khalil Abu Alhommous
Affiliation:
Doha Drug Store, Doha, Qatar
*
Corresponding author: Amal Khaleel Abu Alhommos, Email: aabualhomos@kfu.edu.sa.
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Abstract

Objective:

To explore the psychological and economic effects of the COVID-19 epidemic and identify those at higher risk of suffering financial consequences.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study using an online survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia between June 27 and September 27, 2020. Logistic regression was conducted to determine who was more likely to suffer financially from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Results:

A total of 440 individual participated in this study, of whom, 86.8% were aged 19 – 49 years, and 60.0% were females. Around 57.0% reported that they have been affected economically by the pandemic. Around 11.0% of the participants reported that they feel anxious; around 18.0% reported feeling depressed or fearful because of COVID-19. Males were around twice (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.24 – 2.72) as likely to be affected economically during the COVID-19 pandemic (P < 0.01). Saudis were 59.0% less likely to be affected (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.27 – 0.60; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the psychological and economic status of individuals in Saudi Arabia deeply. To prevent long-term psychological and economic deterioration and to hasten social recovery, mental, financial, supportive strategies, and programs to aid the entire community in coping with the pandemic are recommended.

Keywords

covid-19economypsychologySaudi Arabia
Type
Brief Report
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e346
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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