People in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, practice social distancing while enjoying the warm spring sun and blooming flowers at Gyeongsanggamyeong Park, on March 25, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Koreans are suffering from the ‘corona blues,’ symptoms of anxiety and depression caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a recent study revealed.
Job portal Incruit conducted a survey of 5,256 men and women in April, June and September of this year, among whom 54.7 percent, 69.2 percent, and 71.6 percent experienced the depressive symptoms triggered by the coronavirus outbreak each month.
The causes and symptoms differed depending on when the survey took place.
In April, 22.9 percent were ‘frustrated by strict quarantine lockdowns’ as the primary reason for depression. In June, 16.5 percent felt ‘uncertainty and fear due to the rising unemployment rate’.
This month, 16.2 percent felt ‘exhausted’ and 14.5 percent were ‘depressed by a lack of social interactions’.
In addition, more people believed that their mental health condition has deteriorated, the study showed.
In the most recent study conducted between July and August among 3,983 Seoulites between 10 and 80 years of age, 1,489 people struggled with mental health following the coronavirus outbreak.
On the contrary, 70 percent believed social distancing did not make them feel socially isolated.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
