PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ahmed N. Alshammari
AU  - Khalid A. Alshammari
AU  - Salman N. Alshammari
AU  - Saad Y. Aldhaifi
AU  - Abdulaziz S. Alqahtani
TI  - The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Persons with Multiple Sclerosis in Saudi Arabia
AID  - 10.17712/nsj.2023.2.20110104
DP  - 2023 Apr 01
TA  - Neurosciences Journal
PG  - 108--115
VI  - 28
IP  - 2
4099  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/28/2/108.short
4100  - http://nsj.org.sa/content/28/2/108.full
SO  - Neurosciences (Riyadh)2023 Apr 01; 28
AB  - Objectives: To evaluate, in a Saudi Arabian context, how the COVID-19 pandemic psychologically impacted persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS).Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken during the period from October 2021 to March 2022. 738 participants resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) completed a self-administered online questionnaire. The research focused on persons diagnosed with MS.Results: Participant ages spanned from 18 to over 55. The mean was 36.1±12.9 years old. Four hundred eighty-nine (66.3%) of the 738 participants were female. Two hundred sixty-four (35.8%) were single. Four hundred twelve (55.8%) were married. Six hundred eighty-five (92.8%) had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Regarding MS duration, 117 (15.9%) had been diagnosed for less than 2 years, 171 (23.2%) for 2-5 years, while 251 (34%) had the condition for 10 or more years. Regarding psychological health, 11.2% of participants complained of minimal/no depression, 33.3% of mild depression, 28.3% of moderate depression, and 27.1% of moderately severe to severe depression symptoms. Concerning anxiety, 17.2% of participants reported minimal anxiety, 36.9% mild, 23.3% moderate, while 22.6% suffered from severe anxiety symptoms.Conclusion: A high prevalence of depression and anxiety was found, along with high prevalence of co-occurrence of these disorders among PwMS.