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. 2023 Mar 2;20(5):4476.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054476.

COVID-19 Pandemic Fatigue and Its Sociodemographic, Mental Health Status, and Perceived Causes: A Cross-Sectional Study Nearing the Transition to an Endemic Phase in Malaysia

Mohd Radzniwan Abdul Rashid  1 , Sharifah Najwa Syed Mohamad  1 , Ahmad Izzat Ahmad Tajjudin  1 , Nuruliza Roslan  1   2 , Aida Jaffar  3 , Fathima Begum Syed Mohideen  1 , Faizul Helmi Addnan  1 , Nizam Baharom  1 , Muslimah Ithnin  4
Affiliations

COVID-19 Pandemic Fatigue and Its Sociodemographic, Mental Health Status, and Perceived Causes: A Cross-Sectional Study Nearing the Transition to an Endemic Phase in Malaysia

Mohd Radzniwan Abdul Rashid et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic characteristics, mental health status, and perceived causes of pandemic fatigue with COVID-19 pandemic fatigue among the general population of Malaysia. The data was collected online during the transition from the COVID-19 pandemic phase to the endemic phase in Malaysia from 1 to 30 April 2022. Sociodemographic data, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), perceived causes of pandemic fatigue, and the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS) were included in the survey. The chi-square test and a simple logistic regression analysis were used to identify predictors of pandemic fatigue. The completed survey (N = 775) included individuals aged 18 years or above [mean 31.98 (SD = 12.16)] from all states in Malaysia. Pandemic fatigue prevalence was 54.2%. Severe to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were detected in 11.2%, 14.9%, and 9.1% of the participants, respectively. Younger age, non-Malay ethnicity, living alone, and higher income categories were significantly higher in the fatigued group. Higher DASS-21 scores on all domains were associated with higher FAS scores. Meanwhile, high scores for perceived tiredness from complying with the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), perceived risk of infection from COVID-19, perceived hardship due to the pandemic, perceived public complacency during the pandemic, and perceived changes due to the pandemic were associated with a higher FAS score. This study provides valuable information for policymakers and mental health professionals worldwide on pandemic fatigue and its associated factors, including mental health status in Malaysia.

Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; depression; pandemic fatigue; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Level of depression, anxiety, and stress among all respondents (n = 775).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Perceived causes of pandemic fatigue—domain and individual items—among respondents (n = 775).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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