Abstract
BACKGROUND: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic and the global spread had created several challenges for the general public and the healthcare workers across the world, the primary aim of this study was to assess the psychological stress, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life (QoL) of individuals with multiple health issues during home quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study was conducted between 28 (th) March to 30 (th) April 2020. We recruited 50 individuals who have a history of chronic health issues, and 50 individuals with no health issues for this cross-sectional study. Three questionnaires were used to evaluate the mental health [depression anxiety stress scale (DASS-21)], sleep quality [Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI)], and QoL [short form of health-related questionnaire (SF-36)] of the participants. Statistical analysis was carried out with Student's t-test, using SPSS software v16. RESULTS: Baseline demographic characteristics were homogenous for both groups of participants. Intergroup analysis revealed statistically significant differences in mental health (p<0.001), sleep quality (p<0.001), and QoL (p<0.001) between the two groups. The results showed high levels of depression, anxiety and stress; poor sleep quality and low health-related QoL in Group A as compared to Group B. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that individuals with chronic health issues exhibit higher mental health problems, lower quality of sleep and have a lower health-related QoL. More research is required and also government should plan on taking care of those patients.