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 | Pakistan journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology 2022

Sana Shabbir Malik Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Sana Riaz Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,Pakistan; Section of Biotechnology, Department of Food and Biotechnology (FBRC) Pakistan Council Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Complex Laboratories Lahore,Pakistan

Fadia Waheed Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Salman Hussain Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Muhammad Zaheer Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Maham Khalid Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Afifa Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

Muhammad Ahsan Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,Pakistan

M. Ahmad Riaz College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan

Mehboob Ahmed Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab Lahore,,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, we noticed that people's attitude showed their mental situation towards quarantine and social distancing.. 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.