1Accident Research Institute (ARI), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
2Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka
3Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka
4Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka
5Department of Education and Research, Jagannath University
Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences.
2021,
Vol. 9 No. 1, 9-16
DOI: 10.12691/rpbs-9-1-2
Copyright © 2021 Science and Education PublishingCite this paper: Mohammad Mahbub Alam Talukder, Md. Tuhin Mia, Nashir Uddin Shaikh, Nasreen Sultana Chowdhury, Md. Ismael, Morshed Alam, Mohammad Ala Uddin. Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Depressive Symptoms among Poor Urban Women: A Study in Dhaka City of Bangladesh.
Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. 2021; 9(1):9-16. doi: 10.12691/rpbs-9-1-2.
Correspondence to: Md. Tuhin Mia, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka. Email:
mdtuhinmia222@gmail.comAbstract
(1) Background: The world is currently experiencing a tremendous period in which the epidemic significantly affects people's physical and mental health. Poor urban women are more vulnerable to suffer from depression, stress, and other mental health concerns in this environment. (2) Objectives: The general objective of the study is to investigate the depression status due to fear of COVID-19 among the poor urban women living in Dhaka city of Bangladesh. (3) Methods: This cross-sectional study included 424 questionnaire surveys with poor urban women. Chi-squared tests were used to measure differences between various parameters (related to mental depression status due to COVID-19), while the Cronbach Alpha test was used to measure the dispersion of some selected variables. (4) Results: This study demonstrated that cent percent of respondents recognize COVID-19 as a dangerous virus where 79.7% reported direct infection during coughing as a reason for spreading COVID-19. About 78.3% of respondents have taken measures to prevent the coronavirus whereas 92.7% wash hands with water and soap. About 49.5% agreed that they were worried about the coronavirus whereas 51.2% agreed to COVID-19 as the most feared issue and 50.2% agreed that they feel fear of losing the lives of people. In accordance, 56.8% agreed that they were worried that they wouldn't be able to see their relatives because of isolation and 53.8% agreed they worried about getting medical care. In measuring reliability the statement “I can't sleep because I worry too much about the coronavirus” has the highest Cronbach Alpha (0.830). It is observed that there has a significant association between marital status, age, and income with depression at a 5% level of significance where (p<0.028), (p<0.015), and (p<0.004) respectively. (5) Conclusion: Most urban women are mentally depressed due to COVID-19 considering their marital status, age, and income.
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