Prevalence of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and posttraumatic stress disorder following quarantine/isolation due to coronavirus disease 2019 among youth in Puducherry, India

Introduction: Although adolescents experienced milder severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, the pandemic significantly exacerbated mental health issues due to widespread disruptions. Quarantine, isolation, and school closures heightened the risk of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disturbances among youth. We aimed to assess the prevalence of these disorders among youth in Puducherry, India, three months after quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 and examine the associations with sociodemographic and clinical factors. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the youth aged 15–24 years, 3 months after testing for COVID-19. The study participants were selected from a line list of those who tested for COVID-19 by transcription-polymerase chain reaction from August 2020 to August 2021. They were contacted through telephonic interview using structured questionnaires (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and UCLA COVID-19 child/adolescent PTSD tool). Weighted prevalence with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were done to calculate the adjusted prevalence ratios with 95% CI. Results: Among a total of 410 participants interviewed, 30(7%) were screened positive for anxiety, 47 (11.6%) for depression, 96 (23.7%) participants reported poor sleep quality, and 4 (0.9%) reported PTSD. Those screened positive for anxiety were 9.42 (95% CI: 4.15–21.50) times more likely of having poor sleep quality ( P < 0.01) and 2.51 (95% CI: 1.10–5.69) times more likely of being tested positive for COVID-19 during the second wave ( P < 0.02). Participants with poor sleep quality were 7.8 (95% CI: 3.90–15.46) times more likely of being screened positive for depression ( P < 0.01). Those testing positive for COVID-19 and those youth facing at least one difficulty during quarantine/isolation were 2.16 (95% CI: 1.28–3.43) and 1.76 (95% CI: 1.09–2.84) more likely, respectively, of being screened positive for poor sleep quality. Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality, and PTSD was high among youth who had undergone COVID-19 testing in the last 3 months. Poor sleep quality was linked with a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression, and people with adverse experiences during COVID-19 had poor sleep quality. Interventions that would minimize the impact of a pandemic on the mental health of youth are needed.