ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Impact of mental health, fear, and social support on quality of life among patients with severe mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A questionnaire survey study
Provisionally accepted
- Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Republic of Korea
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Purpose: This study aimed to assess levels of anxiety, depression, stress, fear, social support, and QoL among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder receiving treatment at a national forensic psychiatric hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2021 using a structured self-report questionnaire. Participants provided informed consent, and institutional ethical approval was obtained. Data were analyzed to examine associations among anxiety, depression, stress, fear, social support, and QoL outcomes. Results: Among the participants, 13.2% reported moderate-to-severe anxiety and 22.1% showed moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. The average stress score was 15.63 ± 5.43, and the mean fear score was 14.13 ± 5.71, with 15.4% scoring above the clinical threshold. Perceived social support was moderate, with mean scores from healthcare providers (18.72 ± 6.43), family (18.79 ± 7.97), and friends (16.26 ± 7.46). Conclusion: The findings highlight the compounded psychological burden experienced by institutionalized patients with SMIs during a pandemic. These results underscore the need for targeted nursing interventions and psychosocial support strategies within forensic psychiatric settings to improve QoL and mental well-being during public health emergencies.
Keywords: Forensic Psychiatry, mental illness, Quality of Life, COVID-19, Anxiety, stress
Received: 11 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sun Ju Kim, akal0114@hanmail.net
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