The Relationship between Psychological Distress, Loneliness and Quality of Life in Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Research

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationships between psychological distress, loneliness, and quality of life in adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The study was conducted in Turkey with 488 adults, ages 18-64, between August and December 2020. Data were collected online, using a sociodemographic information form and COVID-19 questionnaire, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and Hierarchical Regression Analyses. Results: It was determined that 19.7% of the participants were at risk for mild, 13.5% for moderate and 34.4% for severe psychological distress. A significant relationship was found between the physical component of quality of life and gender, income status, decreased income during the pandemic, chronic disease, mental illness, physical activity, sleep duration, psychological distress, and loneliness (R²=0.391, p<0.001). A significant relationship was found between the mental component of quality of life and age, gender, income status, mental illness, fear of COVID-19, taking personal precautions in the pandemic, physical activity, psychological distress and loneliness (R²=0.359, p<0.001). The level of psychological distress and loneliness were significant determinants of both the physical and mental components of the quality of life, and the quality of life decreased as the level of psychological distress and loneliness increased. Conclusion: It is thought that various interventions (advanced epidemic management policies, psychosocial and mental health services) should be organized to improve mental health and quality of life, both of which are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic process.