Search

Background: Impact of pandemic psychological, economic, and biological factors on mental health trajectories are poorly understood. Long-term studies on earthquake disasters show depression requires specialized psychiatric/psychological interventions. However, the pandemic characterized by long-term isolation and lockdowns, economic adversity, and disease and death may produce distinctive mental health demands for the future. This baseline survey aims to evaluate the associations of pandemic factors with depression. Methods: We surveyed 2000 participants 18 years-and-older by two-city stratified telephonic random sampling in Kazakhstan. Survey-adjusted Poisson regression analyses produced probable depression prevalence ratios (PRs) for COVID-19 death and disease related factors, and pandemic-related economic and socio-psychological factors. CESD-16 was utilized to measure depression. Findings: Pandemic factors including household suspected having-or-diagnosed with COVID-19 with depression PR=1·48 (95% CI 1·09-2·02; p=0·013), friends/coworkers diagnosed with COVD-19 with PR=1·43 (1·04-1·95; p=0·026), lost employment PR=1·80 (1·04-3·11; p=0·037), and insufficient income for food PR=1·54 (1·15-2·06; p=0·004) were independently associated with probable depression. Contrastingly, having COVID-19 deaths among family/friends or acquaintances/coworkers were not associated with depression. Neither was fear of developing disease or perceived threat of COVID-19, but family stress had a dose-response association, with PR=13·42 (7·11-25·32; p