• Mohammed A Mamun, Najmuj Sakib, David Gozal, Akm Israfil Bhuiyan, Sahadat Hossain, Md Bodrud-Doza, Firoj Al Mamun, Ismail Hosen, Mariam Binte Safiq, Abu Hasnat Abdullah, Md Abedin Sarker, Istihak Rayhan, Md Tajuddin Sikder, Mohammad Muhit, Chung-Ying Lin, Mark D Griffiths, and Amir H Pakpour.
• Centre for Health Innovation, Networking, Training, Action and Research - Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Department of Public Health and Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Electronic address: mamunphi46@gmail.com.
• J Affect Disord. 2021 Jan 15; 279: 462-472.

BackgroundAs with other countries worldwide, lockdown measures during the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh were sudden and unexpected, and have the capacity to elicit serious psychological consequences. The present study examined the psychological consequences of COVID-19 in Bangladesh during the lockdown period.MethodsA nationwide online cross-sectional survey study recruited 10,067 individuals covering all 64 districts in Bangladesh via social media (April 1-10, 2020). The survey comprised questions concerning socio-demographics, knowledge of COVID-19, behavior towards COVID-19, fear of COVID-19, insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation. Logistic regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed to identify the risk factors depression and suicidal ideation. Geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analysis was used to identify district-wise susceptibility to depression and suicidal ideation.FindingsThe prevalence rate of depression and suicidal ideation related to COVID-19 was 33% and 5%%. Common risk factors for suicidal ideation and depression included being young, being female, being a cigarette smoker, having comorbid diseases, having high scores on the Fear COVID-19 Scale, and having insomnia symptoms. GIS-based maps detected high depression and suicidal ideation in the capital of Bangladesh and the districts near the capital as well as coastal areas where COVID-19 prevalence was high, as compared with districts with no reported cases.LimitationsSelf-reported scales and cross-sectional design of the study.ConclusionCOVID-19 is associated with major psychological impact across Bangladesh, underlining the need of strategically located psychological support measures and improved access to mental health services, especially among women and younger people.Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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