Abstract

Anxiety, depression, stress, PTSD symptoms, fatigue and sleep disturbances have been associated with COVID-19 lockdowns in several countries. In the current Survey Monkey study on 260 individuals (18-82 years), all of these conditions were significantly correlated with each other. Stepwise regression analysis suggested that depression, stress, PTSD symptoms and fatigue scale scores contributed to 64% of the variance on anxiety scale scores. And, in a similar stepwise regression analysis, 67% of the variance on the depression scale scores was explained by anxiety, stress, PTSD symptoms and fatigue scale scores. These data highlight the effects of anxiety and depression on each other and the effects of stress, PTSD symptoms and fatigue on both anxiety and depression. Positive correlations between both anxiety and depression and Media Scale ratings on internet, Facebook and communications about the virus suggested that those activities may have exacerbated the negative symptoms, while negative correlations with Health Scale ratings on exercise, self-care, and spirituality suggested that those activities may buffer the effects of anxiety and depression during a COVID-19 lockdown.