The Malaysian Insight

A SURVEY of more than 1,000 Malaysians showed nearly half of them are experiencing stress, anxiety and depression during the movement-control order (MCO) period, with women, youths and low-cost flat dwellers the worst off.

Those living alone and in more crowded units also experienced higher levels of these negative emotions, according to the survey by think-tank, The Centre.

The survey of 1,084 respondents is aimed at measuring the mental health fallout from the MCO, which has now entered its 44th day.

It was conducted between April 5 and 10 by authors Aziff Azuddin and Dr Idlan Zakaria, in consultation with psychiatrists and psychologists.

The MCO, which was implemented to break the chain on coronavirus transmissions, has shut down most parts of the economy and barred people from travelling outside their homes except to buy food, essential items or get medical help.

The Covid-19 virus has so far infected 5,945 and killed 100.

The effects of being cooped up at home has led to 48% of the survey’s respondents saying they experienced varying levels of anxiety, 45% said they felt depressed and 34% said they experienced varying levels of stress.

“Of these, 22% of respondents self-reported severe and extremely severe anxiety, with 20% and 15% experiencing similarly alarming levels of depression and stress,” the survey’s authors said.

The survey used a snowball sampling method where 76% of respondents came from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur while 81% of them identified as Malay or Bumiputera.

Women, who comprised 66% of those surveyed, reported feeling higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress compared to men.

About 49% of women respondents said they felt depressed as opposed to 46% for men, while 48% said they experienced anxiety as compared to 38% for men.

When it came to stress, about 25% of male respondents said they experienced it, compared to 38% of women.

“Notably, a higher proportion of women in the sample exhibited severe or extremely severe signs of depression, anxiety and stress (21%, 26% and 18% respectively) compared to men (14%, 15% and 10% respectively).

The survey also discovered that occupants of low-cost public housing, known for their cramped spaces, reported higher levels of all three negative emotions compared to those living in flats, condominiums, terraced houses and bungalows or semi-detached houses.

About 60% of low-cost housing residents reported feeling depressed or anxious while 43% said they felt stressed.

“In particular, they reported more extreme signs of depression, anxiety and stress, with 25 to 32% classified as severe and extremely severe.”

Respondents aged between 18 to 24 also felt higher levels of all three emotions compared to other age cohorts.

About 63% said they felt varying degrees of depression, 58% said they experienced anxiety while half of them felt stressed out.

Respondents in low-cost housing made up only 3% of respondents while the biggest group – 48% – came from those living in terrace houses.

The survey also found the level of negative emotions were comparable across respondents who lived in low, medium and highly crowded environments.

But the severity of depression, anxiety and stress were higher in those living in highly crowded units as compared to occupants of low- and medium-crowded units.

The average residential unit in the survey typically had four occupants, three bedrooms, one bathroom, one kitchen, and one living room.

Respondents living alone tended to report higher signs of depression at 54%, anxiety, 50% and stress, 37%, compared to those living with other people.

“It is therefore not surprising that single occupancy households also report high levels of severe and extremely severe negative emotions.”

Respondents from households with more than three generations reported experiencing slightly lower levels of severe and extremely severe depression.

“However, the level of severe and extremely severe stress reported by those in inter-generational households is comparable to single occupancy households.” – April 30, 2020.