Psychological Distress of COVID-19 Pandemic among Survivors of the 2014-16 Ebola Epidemic Residing in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and the infection prevention measures disrupted socio-economic activities, which negatively impacted the physical and mental health of individuals. These impacts caused anxiety, stress, depression and nightmares, which were indicative of psychosocial distress. Objective: To assess the levels of psychological distress of the COVID-19 pandemic among survivors of the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic who are residing in Victoria, Australia. Method: This sequential exploratory mixed methods research utilised the Kessler-6 psychological distress scale for collection of quantitative data in an online survey. This was followed by two Zoom interview questions which gathered data from 9 individuals. A descriptive quantitative data analysis and the five-stage qualitative data analysis were done for both data sets. Results and findings were integrated and thematically reported. Results: The majority (60%) of the 30 participants in the Kessler-6 questions were within the age range 18-40 years and 47% are males. Further, 9 participants provided data for the interviews. The weighted average shows that responses such as everything was an effort represented 83%, elevated levels of nervousness (90%), restless and fidgety (78%), hopelessness (70%) and depression (53%). Interview findings showed that though majority of the participants were distressed, they did not seek professional help and they depended on mass media information.  Conclusion: Results found elevated levels of psychological distress among participants, but most did not seek professional care.  This study has unveiled the stress levels among this cohort. It will be helpful to the participants if they are provided with psychological and mental healthcare to forestall additional mental health problems.