Factors That Impact the Psychological Wellbeing of Airborne Isolated Patients

Background Lower respiratory tract infections are one of the international leading causes of lost disability-adjusted years, and hence prevention measures, including isolation of high-suspect patients, were established to reduce the risk of transmission. However, isolation can negatively affect the psychological health of isolated patients, leading to anxiety or depression. The study aim was to investigate the association between types of isolation and the levels of anxiety and depression. Other factors that negatively influence the psychological status were identified. Methods This was an observational analytical cross-sectional study. The study included patients aged 18 years and above who had been isolated for at least 48 hours at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah, in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The data was gathered by interviewing the patients using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results Among the included 97 isolated patients, 52 (53%) were men, and 45 (47%) were women with a mean age of 49.39 ± 1.87. Among all participants, 70% were married, and 72% had children. The means of anxiety and depression scores were 5.08 ± 0.39 and 7.48 ± 0.40, respectively. There was no significant association between HADS and types of isolation (P=0.550). Female gender was significantly associated with abnormal HADS (36% vs. 17%; P=0.040). On the other hand, the frequency of physician follow-up visits reduced the risk for abnormal HADS (22% vs. 50%; P=0.040) Conclusion Just over one-fourth of the isolated patients had raised anxiety or depression scores. A trend to higher HADS was observed in airborne isolated patients. We found also that females were more susceptible to anxiety and depression, while frequent physician visits improved the psychological wellbeing of isolated patients.