Evaluating the Psychological Impacts Related to COVID-19 of Vietnamese People Under the First Nationwide Partial Lockdown in Vietnam

This is the first time in Vietnam that people have undergone "social distancing" to minimize the spreading of infectious disease, COVID-19. These deliberate preemptive strategies may have profound impacts on the mental health of the population. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese people and associated factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study during a one-week social distancing and isolation from April 7 to 14, 2020, in Vietnam. A snowball sampling technique was carried out to recruit participants. Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) was utilized to assess the psychological impacts of the COVID-19. Of all participants, 233 (16.4%) reported PTSD clinical symptomology; 76 (5.3%) rated as probably having PTSD diagnosis; 77 (5.4%) reported extreme psychologicall conditions. Being female, above 44 years old, or having a greater number of children in the family were positively associated with a higher level of psychological distress. In addition, being self-employed/unemployed/retired was associated with a higher score of intrusion and hyperarousal sub-scale, while having a history of touching objects with the possibility of spreading coronavirus (utensils) related to a higher level of avoidance. There were relatively high rates of participants suffering from PTSD during the first national lockdown related to COVID-19. Comprehensive strategies for the screen of psychological problems and epidemiological monitoring of mental health are critical, especially among the high-risk groups for early intervention.