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Insomnia as a concerned mental health issue during COVID-19 pandemic: A google trend analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

D. Aniwattanapong*
Affiliation:
King’s College London, Institute Of Psychiatry, Psychology And Neuroscience, London, Thailand Chulalongkorn University, Department Of Psychiatry, Bangkok, Thailand
V. Phetsayanavin
Affiliation:
Nakhon Phanom Ratchanakarin Psychiatric Hospital, Department Of Psychiatry, Nakhon Phanom, Thailand
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Insomnia is one of the most common major health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been limited evidence that showed the correlation between insomnia and COVID-19 using Google trend.

Objectives

To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interest in insomnia, including national mental health by a Google trend analysis that implicitly represents the state of distress and concern for this pandemic.

Methods

We examined the Google trend search query data from these sleep-related keywords: insomnia, restless leg, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) from 1 Jan 2020 to 30 May 2020 and explored the correlation between the internet search volumes for insomnia and the cumulative number of new COVID-19 cases. In addition, we investigated the internet search pattern over time, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic between January and May 2020, the Relative Search Volumes (RSV) curves showed that the cumulative number of new COVID-19 cases was significantly correlated with the rising search for these keywords linking to sleep-related conditions as follows: ‘insomnia’ (r = 0.41, p < 0.001), and ‘restless leg’ (r = 0.19, p = 0.009). However, it was not correlated with the keyword ‘OSA’ (r = -0.14, p = 0.07).

Conclusions

These findings emphasize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on insomnia and the crucial need for public mental health interventions to be offered and accessible. The Google trend could be used as a new tool for public mental health surveillance in a new normal lifestyle.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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