The Association of Knowledge, Perception and Attitude of COVID-19 with the Psychological Status of the Public in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of knowledge, perception, and attitude of COVID- 19 with the psychological distress status of the public in Saudi Arabia. METHODOLOGY: A cross- sectional study was performed among 429 participants using an online survey after approval from Umm Al-Qura University in March 2020. Data collection took three months during COVID- 19 outbreak (May-July 2020). An online survey was composed of items related to knowledge, perception, attitude, and the population's psychological status during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Association tests were used at a significance level of < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Nearly 80% of the participants had variable degrees of psychological distress. There were significant associations of perception (fear of being infected with COVID-19, (p < 0.05), fear of being in contact with patients with COVID-19 (p < 0.05), and fear of inability to continue their usual activities/work (p < 0.05), changes in social habits (p < 0.05), and following the precautional measures to prevent acquiring COVID- 19 infection (p < 0.05) with psychological status. At the same time, the association of Knowledge regarding COVID-19 with psychological level was not statistically significant (p = 0.221). CONCLUSION: Most of the participants had variable degrees of psychological distress. There were significant associations of most of the elements of perception and attitudes of the public regarding COVID-19 with their psychological distress. The public should implement psychological support programs during the pandemic to help them overcome COVID-19-related psychological distress.