The outbreak of COVID-19 in Spain started at the end of February. By 9th April 2020 Spain was the second country in confirmed cases and in deaths. On March 14, 2020, the Spanish Government declared ...the state of alarm to limit viral transmission. During such state, citizens must stay confined at home with few justified exceptions. This whole situation drastically changed the life of the population, which can cause a wide range of psychosocial impacts. This study explored the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general adult population (
N
= 3055) during the first stages of the outbreak in Spain, as well as their anxiety, stress and depression levels. We also examined the extent to which the following variables were associated to participants’ mental health: (1) demographics; (2) degree of concern about the pandemic; (3) environmental conditions during the home confinement, (4) changes in daily life as a consequence of the pandemic; (5) contact with the COVID-19 disease; (6) actual and perceived severity of the crisis; (7) information about the COVID-19, (8) perceived health status and (9) leisure activities conducted within the last 24 h. Our results show that Spanish consider the current COVID-19 health crisis as fairly severe, and the majority felt that the COVID-19 crisis had greatly impacted on their daily life, including changes in their daily routines and cancelation of important activities. About 36% of the participants reported moderate to severe psychological impact, 25% showed mild to severe levels of anxiety, 41% reported depressive symptoms, and 41% felt stressed. Women, young, and those who that lost their job during the health crisis showed the strongest negative psychological symptoms. What worried Spaniards the most was the likelihood of suffering an economic crisis derived from the pandemic. We found factors associated with better mental health, such as being satisfied with the information received about the health crisis, conducting leisure activities, and the perception of being in good health. These findings can be used to design psychological interventions to help coping with COVID-19 pandemic, both in Spain and other countries.
Abstract Objectives: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be an issue worldwide, the foregoing phenomena are especially problematic for those in community health and rural clinics with limited ...funding available; such providers markedly reported that the pandemic negatively impacted their quality of life (QOL). Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary health-care providers at a primary care clinic. In addition, the research gathered information about respondents’ characteristics vis-à-vis the work-related psychological impact among providers. Subjects and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 62 primary health-care providers at a Primary Care Clinic in North Texas, with a 69% response rate ( n = 43). In addition to descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine characteristics related to the presence of work-related psychological impact among providers. Results: Results revealed that the main psychological manifestations perceived by providers were work-related stress (77%), depression (51%), and anxiety (40%). In addition, the results showed that those subspecialists and chiropractors were less likely to report that the pandemic negatively impacted their QOL because they have previous exposure to similar traumatic events. Conclusion: The pandemic has led to relatively higher levels of psychological impact among primary health-care providers and chiropractic professionals at the clinic. The findings suggested that it is necessary to offer providers the necessary support to reduce the psychological impact derived from the pandemic. Future studies should include providers from diverse geographic locations in their sample for a better understanding of this phenomenon.
The physical and mental health of citizens living in a country that encouraged face masks (China) and discouraged face masks (Poland) during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic remained ...unknown. We conducted a cross-country study to compare the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Poles and Chinese. This study aimed to compare the levels of psychological impact of pandemic and levels of anxiety and depression between China and Poland.
The survey collected information on demographic data, physical symptoms, contact history, and precautionary measures. The psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and mental health status was assessed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The chi-squared test was used to analyze the differences in categorical variables between the two populations. Linear regression was used to calculate the bivariate associations between independents variables (e.g., physical symptoms and precautionary measures) and dependent variables (e.g., mental health outcomes).
This study included a total of 2,266 respondents from both countries (1,056 Poles and 1,210 Chinese). There were significantly less Polish respondents who wore face masks (Poles: 35.0%; Chinese: 96.8% p < 0.001). Significantly more Polish respondents reported physical symptoms resembling COVID-19 infection (p < 0.001), recent medical consultation (p < 0.01), recent COVID-19 testing (p < 0.001), and hospitalization (p < 0.01). Furthermore, Polish respondents had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression and stress (p < 0.001) than Chinese. The mean IES-R scores of Poland and China were above the cut-off for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Besides precautionary measures, unemployment, retirement, physical symptoms resembling COVID-19 infection, recent medical consultation or COVID-19 testing, and long daily duration of home confinement were risk factors for PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, or stress for Polish respondents.
Use of face masks at the community level may safeguard better physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need of health education with scientific information from Polish health authority on the proper use of face masks and reduce social stigma. This study was limited by the respondent sampling method that had compromised the representativeness of samples.
People who work in windowless environments often experience negative emotion and a high level of stress, primarily due to the absence of sunlight and isolation from nature environment. In response to ...this challenge, researchers and designers have created artificial windows to mimic sunlight and window views, the objective is to simulate natural surroundings, providing visual and psychological comfort. This paper analyzes benefits of windows, summarizes prior studies on artificial windows' impact on occupants’ mood and work productivity, scrutinizes experimental design and evaluation methods, reflects the limitations of previous studies on artificial windows experiments, and proposes potential improvements for future research. This study contributes to providing direction for future research, enhancing the science and effectiveness of experimental designs and applications of artificial windows. It also contributes to the optimization of artificial window design for the purpose of creating healthier and more comfortable interior settings, with far-reaching and valuable implications for future architectural and interior design.
Our survey investigated dentists' perceptions of their activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a ten-question survey on our conception and sent it to 122 dentists via social media; 70 ...responded. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient validated our questionnaire. We applied the Shapiro-Wilk test and the Mann-Whitney test. The chosen p-significance threshold was 0.05. The respondents were 61.50% women and 38.50% men; 44.29% were between 23 -30 years old. 44.29% of the respondents were dentists with 1 to 5 years of practice. Of 70 dentists, 51.43% felt stress, 35.71% felt fear, 7.15% anxiety, and 5.71% physical fatigue during the pandemic. 65% of males and 35% of females used some drugs. 80.80% of respondents had no financial problems, 19.20% reported some troubles. Gloves, masks, and glasses were the principal ways of protection, followed by nebulizers (98%) and UV lamps (52%). 68 declared they had the support of their friends and family, 65 were relaxed by TV programs, 52 by doing sports, and 47 by listening to music. 53% of dentists had COVID-19: 30.58% female and 22.42% male; 96.24% of them managed to treat the infection at home.
•We included 62 studies from 17 countries assessing psychological distress of COVID-19.•We found a high psychological burden among medical staff and the general public.•However, the psychological ...distress was significantly higher among patients.•We identified risk factors of psychological burdens to identify high-risk people.•Professional medical services should be allocated to high-risk population.•More self-help materials should be made available for people with milder impact.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused enormous psychological impact worldwide. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the psychological and mental impact of COVID-19 among healthcare workers, the general population, and patients with higher COVID-19 risk published between 1 Nov 2019 to 25 May 2020. We conducted literature research using Embase, PubMed, Google scholar and WHO COVID-19 databases. Among the initial search of 9207 studies, 62 studies with 162,639 participants from 17 countries were included in the review. The pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression was 33% (95% confidence interval: 28%-38%) and 28% (23%-32%), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was the highest among patients with pre-existing conditions and COVID-19 infection (56% 39%-73% and 55% 48%-62%), and it was similar between healthcare workers and the general public. Studies from China, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Iran reported higher-than-pooled prevalence among healthcare workers and the general public. Common risk factors included being women, being nurses, having lower socioeconomic status, having high risks of contracting COVID-19, and social isolation. Protective factors included having sufficient medical resources, up-to-date and accurate information, and taking precautionary measures. In conclusion, psychological interventions targeting high-risk populations with heavy psychological distress are in urgent need.
Recent studies show that quarantine and lockdown are effective measures for controlling COVID-19 outbreaks, but may be an unpleasant experience with psychological consequences. For this reason, the ...main aim of this study was to determine which personal sociodemographic and psychological variables are related to adapting to lockdown in a Spanish population. Questionnaires were administered to 2,055 individuals (60.7% women) who were resident in Spain and aged between 18 and 80 years old. We also administered some items related to feelings and behaviors during lockdown. The results showed that sex and age are variables to be taken into account. In fact, women tended to show greater stress, a more pessimistic attitude, and lower self-esteem. However, older people adapted better to lockdown although they were also more worried. Married people also adapted better although they too were more worried. The results also showed that more resilient people, with higher subjective happiness and life satisfaction, develop strategies for adapting positively to adversity, and tend to adapt better to lockdown, with more positive attitudes and behaviors. In terms of personality traits, higher neuroticism and lower extraversion were related to worse adaptation to lockdown. This study also showed that lockdown has had a negative psychological impact on those people who did not adapt well to the situation and the changes during the first 4 weeks of lockdown.
As the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, frontline health care workers (HCWs) are among the most vulnerable groups at risk of mental health problems. The many risks to the wellbeing of HCWs ...are not well understood. Of the literature, there is a paucity of information around how to best prevent psychological distress, and what steps are needed to mitigate harm to HCWs’ wellbeing.
A systematic review using PRISMA methodology was used to investigate the psychological impact on HCWs facing epidemics or pandemics, using three electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE and CINAHL), dating back to 2002 until the 21st of August 2020. The search strategy included terms for HCWs (e.g., nurse and doctor), mental health (e.g., wellbeing and psychological), and viral outbreaks (e.g., epidemic and pandemic). Only studies with greater than 100 frontline HCWs (i.e. doctors or nurses in close proximity to infected patients) were included.
A total of 55 studies were included, with 53 using quantitative methodology and 2 were qualitative. 50 of the quantitative studies used validated measurement tools while 5 used novel questionnaires. The studies were conducted across various countries and included people with SARS (13 studies), Ebola (1), MERS (3) and COVID-19 (38). Findings suggest that the psychological implications to HCWs are variable with several studies demonstrating an increased risk of acquiring trauma or stress-related disorders, depression and anxiety. Fear of the unknown or becoming infected were at the forefront of the mental challenges faced. Being a nurse and being female appeared to confer greater risk. The perceived stigma from family members and society heightened negative implications; predominantly stress and isolation. Coping strategies varied amongst the contrasting sociocultural settings and appeared to differ amongst doctors, nurses and other HCWs. Implemented changes, and suggestions for prevention in the future consistently highlighted the need for greater psychosocial support and clearer dissemination of disease-related information.
This review can inform current and future research priorities in the maintenance of wellbeing amongst frontline HCWs. Change needs to start at the level of policy-makers to offer an enhanced variety of supports to HCWs who play a critical role during largescale disease outbreaks. Psychological implications are largely negative and require greater attention to be mitigated, potentially through the involvement of psychologists, raised awareness and better education. The current knowledge of therapeutic interventions suggests they could be beneficial but more long-term follow-up is needed.
•Frontline health care workers (HCWs), especially females and nurses, are amongst the most vulnerable groups at risk of mental health problems, especially during severe viral epidemics.•Fear of uncertainty or becoming infected were at the forefront of the psychological challenges faced.•Several studies demonstrated an increased risk of acquiring trauma or stress-related disorders, depression and anxiety.•Coping strategies varied between sociocultural settings and HCWs of different disciplines.•Adequate psychosocial support and clear dissemination of disease-related information was consistently recommended.
•Over one-fourth of British have general psychiatric disorders during COVID-19.•Over one-third of British sometimes or often feel lonely during COVID-19.•People with COVID-19 symptoms have more ...psychiatric disorders and are lonelier.•Women and young people are risky for psychiatric disorders and loneliness.•Employment and living with a partner reduce psychiatric disorders and loneliness.
Despite ample research on the prevalence of specific psychiatric disorders during COVID-19, we know little about the broader psychological impact of the pandemic on a wider population. The study investigates the prevalence and predictors of general psychiatric disorders measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and frequency of loneliness during COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, a country heavily hit by the pandemic. We analyzed 15,530 respondents of the first large-scale, nationally representative survey of COVID-19 in a developed country, the first wave of Understanding Society COVID-19 Study. Results show that 29.2% of the respondents score 4 or more, the caseness threshold, on the general psychiatric disorder measure, and 35.86% of the respondents sometimes or often feel lonely. Regression analyses show that those who have or had COVID-19-related symptoms are more likely to develop general psychiatric disorders and are lonelier. Women and young people have higher risks of general psychiatric disorders and loneliness, while having a job and living with a partner are protective factors. This study showcases the psychological impact, including general psychiatric disorders and loneliness, of broader members of the society during COVID-19 and the underlying social inequalities.
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