Urban insights into mental health: A study of depression and anxiety factors among urban adults of Bangladesh in the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among urban adults in Bangladesh and explores the associated socio-demographic factors. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2021 among the adults living in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, using a standard questionnaire designed using Google Forms and sent via a unique uniform resource locator (URL). The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) was employed to assess symptoms of mental health issues. The survey included responses from 993 participants. The results indicate that about 40% of the urban adults had moderate-severe anxiety symptoms, while about 46% had depression symptoms. Urban adults’ level of education, gender, occupation, place of birth, and asset quintile were found to have a significant correlation with increased anxiety and depression. The findings stressed the need for developing effective mental health services and educational programs for urban people to meet their mental health needs and prevention mechanisms. There is an urgent need for interventions that specifically target mental health issues.KEYWORDS: COVID-19mental healthanxietydepressionurban adultshealth workersmultiple logistic regression Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Ethics statementThe research complied with the Helsinki Declaration’s ethical principles for human subject research. In line with the ethical standards, the study informed the participants about all relevant aspects of the study. Participants understood their right to refuse or withdraw consent to participate at any time during the study without reprisal. The personal data collected were processed anonymously and aggregated for analysis. The Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) approved the study.