Impact de la Covid-19 sur la santé mentale des populations de la région de l’Ouest Cameroun

The COVID-19 pandemic has grown rapidly around the world, bringing about suffering and fear, which may have an impact on the mental health of populations. In Cameroon, the weakness of detection systems and treatment infrastructure, coupled with pessimistic forecasts from the UN and WHO, increased the potential for stress, anxiety, and depression. This study set out to determine the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of populations in Cameroon. The methodology of mental health surveys in the general population was used. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21) was used to carry out the diagnosis. An ethical and administrative review was carried out. It respected the principles of freedom, confidentiality, and informed consent, following the guidelines of the Helsinki Protocol. 331 subjects were interviewed. The results show a high rate of depression (28.1%) and anxiety (30.8%), as well as a low rate of stress (3.4%). These results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting, even if moderately, the mental health of Cameroonian populations. © 2021 John Libbey Eurotext. All rights reserved. La pandemie de la Covid-19 a eu une progression rapide dans le monde. Au Cameroun, la faiblesse des dispositifs de detection et de prise en charge, associee aux previsions pessimistes de l’ONU et de l’OMS sur l’impact de la pandemie en Afrique, etait susceptible d’augmenter son retentissement psychopathologique. L’etude s’est donne pour objectif de determiner l’impact de la pandemie sur la sante mentale des populations camerounaises. La methodologie des enquetes de sante mentale en population generale a ete mise a contribution. L’echelle de depression, d’anxiete et de stress (EDAS 21) est l’outil diagnostic utilise. La collecte des donnees s’est faite au prealable d’une clairance ethique et administrative, suivant les orientations du protocole d’Helsinki. Trois cent trente-et-un sujets ont ete interviewes. Les resultats montrent un taux de depression de 28,1 %;un taux d’anxiete de 30,8 % et un taux de stress de 3,4 %, indiquant un impact non negligeable de la pandemie sur la sante mentale des populations. © 2021 John Libbey Eurotext. All rights reserved.