LAUSR

Objectives To examine COVID-19 preventive behaviours among individuals with mental health problems. Study design A pooled cross-sectional study. Methods Online survey data were analyzed from 2000 Japanese adults collected in April and May, 2020. Information was obtained on 13 COVID-19 preventive behaviours, and anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the associations. Results In models adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic factors, anxiety (Coefficient: -0.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.30,-0.24) and depressive symptoms (Coefficient: -0.82, 95%CI: -1.34,-0.30) were both associated with significantly lower engagement in COVID-19 preventive behaviours. Conclusion Our results highlight the importance of facilitating the performance of preventive behaviours in individuals with mental health problems to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in this population.