The psychosomatic impact of COVID-19 with a negative coping style of the general population during a historical pandemic: A web-based survey in Pakistan

Coronavirus outbreak of COVID-19 may affect public mental health. The media is reporting every minute current situation with the highlighted public response towards the outbreak which showed people may experience negative coping styles. Our study designed to measure the level of people's responses such as attitude, knowledge to handle the situation, mental health care need among the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A questionnaire-based online survey was conducted by using the snowball sampling technique. Hence we examined the general population’s psychological distress and coping style before grasping at straws. We received a total of 353 responses. After the analysis survey, we noticed that people's attitude showed their mental situation towards quarantine and social distancing. A high anxiety level was observed in the study. It is necessary to provide mental healthcare facilities and awareness to cope with the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The overall awareness response to the survey depicts that the general population of Pakistan possesses sufficient (73%) awareness and knowledge regarding COVID19, its symptoms, and available prevention strategies. Overall, the social behavior of the general population showed only (24%) of the participants possess a sufficient attitude to cope up with COVID-19 infection. There is a need to intensify the awareness and address the mental health issues of people during this COVID-19 pandemic.