Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals have been quarantined due to their contact with someone infected with the disease and some have experienced psychological stress reactions as a result. This study aims to explore factors affecting the psychological health and post-traumatic stress reactions in people quarantined due to COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Participants included an experimental group of 450 quarantined individuals and a control group of 594 non-quarantined individuals. Participants completed measures of post-traumatic stress reactions, emotional regulation, general self-rated health, and multi-dimensional scales of perceived social support, stigma, and interpersonal avoidance. Significant differences in measures were found between the quarantined and the non-quarantined groups with respect to intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal, PTSD, degree of emotional regulation, stigma, interpersonal avoidance, and general self-rated health. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that enforced quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic is a significant determinant of psychological effects in individuals, including post-traumatic stress reactions.