A Cross-Sectional Study on The Correlation between Psychological Distress and Eating Behaviours of Young Adults During the Covid-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing level of anxiety, depression and stress are being reported along with a dramatic shift in daily routine, living and eating patterns of young individuals. AIMS: The study aimed to explore the associations between the psychosocial impact of the COVID 19 pandemic in India, depressive symptomatology, anxiety/stress levels and disordered eating behaviours among adults aged between 18-35years. METHODS: This was a community based, cross sectional study conducted during August 2021. An online survey was circulated, wherein 110 adults participated. Questions about socio-demographic, lifestyle and eating behaviours were asked. Coronavirus Impact Scale (CIS), Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Three Factor Eating Questionnaire Revised 18-item version (TFEQ-R18) were used. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used. RESULTS: A total of 101 valid responses were used for statistical analysis. 51% respondents reported mild change in daily routine while 49% reported stress and discord in their families due to the pandemic. Almost 10% of the respondents reported features suggestive of moderate depression and anxiety, while 1.9% reported bingeing on food almost every day in the past month. A positive association was observed between the scores of coronavirus impact scale and that of depression (r=0.366, p=0.000), anxiety (r=0.402, p=0.000), stress (r=0.416, p= 0.000) and uncontrolled eating (r=0.198, r=0.047). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increasing psychological distress and also disordered eating patterns, particularly of bingeing types. Thus, screening of this age group for psychiatric disorders becomes important in order to formulate future targeted interventions.