IMPACT OF COVID -19 IN MENTAL HEALTH OF COMMUNITY PEOPLE

Background: COVID-19 has done a great impact on the life of people, till now the third wave has been reported but the magnitude of mental health impact is the same as before. This study aimed to identify depression, anxiety, and stress among community people. During COVID -19 pandemic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study carried out using convenient sampling during CO- VID-19 Pandemic. Data was collected by using a structured standard DASS 21 scale. The SPSS version 22 was used to analyze data. Results: There were a total of 411 people who participated, among them 33.7 %, 31.7 %, and 31.7 % had mild to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress respectively were prevalent. There was a statistically significant association between income during the lockdown and the relatives of health workers working during COVID-19 in the DASS Scale at a 95% confidence level (p value< 0.05). Conclusions: The depression, anxiety, and stress found in the community people during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that the impact still persists. The psychological awareness program has to be conducted more frequently in community settings, as this manmade disaster has a greater and long-term psychological impact.