Stress, Anxiety and Depression Among Family Caregivers of COVID-19 Patients in Northwest Iran: A Cross-sectional Study

Taking care of a patient with COVID-19 can have a significant psychological burden. This study aimed at determining the levels of stress, anxiety and depression symptoms among family caregivers of Covid-19 patients.  This cross-sectional study was conducted on 236 main caregivers of coronavirus patients in Zanjan, Iran in 2020. The data measurement tool was the DASS-21 electronic questionnaire which was designed using the Porsline platform and was sent to the participants via SMS and WhatsApp messages. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s R, Student’s T test and analysis of variance were performed to analyze the data in SPSS version 25. The mean age of participants was 34.72±9.52 years. Of the participants, 57.21, 70.77 and 55.09% had symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. Females experienced higher levels of stress than males (p=0.049). Additionally, the mean score of depression sub-scale was significantly different between categories of employment status (p=0.029), as self-employed workers had significantly higher depression sub-scale scores (10.97±10.85) compared to the other two groups. No significant associations were found between age and depression, anxiety, and stress of the participants. Moreover, the mean scores of depressions, anxiety, and stress sub-scales were not significantly different between categories of marital status and levels of education. The majority of family caregivers experienced depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. This significant prevalence of psychological burden among these individuals underscores the need for supportive measures by policy makers and communities to prevent further severe consequences and help them reduce these symptoms.