Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a multiplicity of pressures.
Experiencing lockdown, self-isolation, and the loss of beloved ones are the main risk factors for the
development of mental health disorders during the pandemic. In low- and middle-income countries,
infection control precautions, surveillance databases, laboratory capacity, and public health funds are
limited, so the psychological influences of the pandemic on the public can be even worse.
Objective(s): This study was conducted to assess anxiety and depression among Egyptians during
the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using an e-survey distributed in May 2020 for the assessment of
sociodemographic and occupational data and a validated Arabic questionnaire to assess depression
by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and anxiety by the General Anxiety Disorder
questionnaire (GAD-7).
Results: Five hundred and eighty-nine participants were included in the study, with a mean age of
28.3 ± 11.2 years. About 43.6% of the sample resided in the Suez Canal region, and about 58.6%
were university students. Among the study population, 46.5% expressed moderate to severe anxiety
and 64.3% expressed moderate to severe depression. The study demonstrated that all participants
showed high frequencies of depression and anxiety regardless of variations in age, sex, educational
level, occupation, or chronic diseases.
Conclusion: Depression and anxiety rates during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were higher
than before the pandemic, so identification, social support, and early intervention are very important
to prevent additional complications.