What impact has COVID-19 had on populations?
The pandemic of COVID-19 has had an impact on the overall health of populations, namely on mental health, as a direct consequence of the viral infection, but also due to the social and economic changes resulting largely from the measures adopted to control the spread of the virus in the global community.
What are the factors responsible for this impact?
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered different factors that have negatively affected the mental health of many citizens, namely:
- Public health measures to contain and control the pandemic
- Social distancing
- insulation
- Feeling of fear and uncertainty regarding the future and the evolution of the disease
- Socio-economic consequences
- unemployment
- Loss of income
- Direct effects of the virus on the central nervous system
Which mental health issues have developed most frequently during the pandemic?
The circumstances of the pandemic were responsible for the development of:
- anxiety
- depression
- Burnout
- obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Why is it important to identify the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of populations?
Identifying determinants of resilience and vulnerability in this population is essential for the adoption of measures that can mitigate the suffering psychological and promote the mental health and well-being of the Portuguese population.
Therefore, during the pandemic, several studies were carried out with the aim of assessing the levels of suffering psychological in the Portuguese population.
In this context, the Department of Health Promotion and Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases of the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge, in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Health of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and with the Portuguese Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health developed an observational study on this impact – SM-COVID-19.
What was the basis of this observational study?
Samples of residents in Portugal, aged 18 years or older and health professionals working in Portuguese territory from various careers and professional categories, with data collection between May 22 and August 14, 2020, were considered.
The study was conducted through a structured online questionnaire, self-completed (population-based survey), more than a quarter of the individuals in the general adult population and about half of the health professionals report symptoms compatible with anxiety and moderate to severe depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although the pandemic is primarily a physical health crisis and a socio-economic crisis, there is a risk that it will also become a mental health crisis if preventive, monitoring and timely referral measures are not adopted.
Thus, it is important to think about short- and long-term measures that reverse the negative impacts of COVID-19 on citizens' mental health.
According to the results of the study, what is the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general population?
In the general population, high values were observed in the development of mental health problems. Highlights include:
- 33.7% suffering psychological
- 27.0% moderate or severe anxiety
- 26.5% post-traumatic stress disorder
- 26.4% moderate to severe depression
- 25.2% burnout
Which groups are most affected by the symptoms of psychological distress?
The percentages pointed to a higher incidence of distress symptoms moderate to severe psychological, in several of the mental health dimensions in:
- Women
- Young adults between the ages of 18 and 29
- unemployed
- Individuals with lower income
What factors have compounded the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general population?
Distress psychological, the anxiety, and the moderate to severe depression of the general population were often Associated with:
- difficulties in reconciling work and family
- Perception of lack of social and family support
- worries about the future of not knowing when there will be a treatment or a vaccine
- fear of not returning to the same way of life as before the pandemic
- economic situation caused by the pandemic
- Yield Preservation
- difficulty in maintaining lifestyles and activities
- Concern with the maintenance of work
- Lower resiliency
What factors have mitigated the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of the general population?
Some factors are protective of well-being psychological and are associated with a decreased risk of symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, namely, the maintenance of:
- Hobbies / Hobbies
- daily routines (bedtime, meals, work, etc.)
- Physical activity
What is the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people in quarantine, isolation or already recovered?
Within the assessment of the general population, the subgroup of individuals who were in quarantine, in isolation or already recovered stands out, in which the impact of COVID-19 on mental health was very much felt:
- 72% suffering psychological
- 56% moderate or severe depression
- 36% moderate or severe anxiety
- 43% post-traumatic stress disorder
What is the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of people in hospital or intensive care?
In infected individuals who were hospitalized or in intensive care, a very high value stands out: 92% moderate or severe anxiety.
Has the pandemic also had an impact on the mental health of healthcare workers?
yes. The results show higher rates of mental health problems among health professionals compared to the general population:
- 44.8% suffering psychological
- 32.1% burnout
- 30.8% moderate or severe anxiety
- 28.4% moderate or severe depression
- 26.2% post-traumatic stress disorder
It should be noted that the group of professionals stands out for their higher levels of burnout (physical and emotional exhaustion).
Which health professionals are most affected by the symptoms of psychological distress?
The negative impacts on mental health, namely in the development of suffering psychological, were strongly felt in the population of health professionals, especially those who are treating patients with COVID-19.
Frontline healthcare workers (27% of all healthcare workers in the study) are at 2.5 times higher risk of psychological distress compared to those who do not treat patients with COVID-19.
What factors influenced the mental health of health professionals?
Predictors of distress psychological, variables according to sociodemographic and professional contexts:
- Professional Category
- yield
- Regular, face-to-face contact with patients
- treating patients with COVID-19
- Medium/low level of resilience
- Difficulties in reconciling work and family
- lack of social and family support
- Concerns about the future
Where can I find more information about mental health during the pandemic in Portugal?
During the pandemic, several studies were carried out to characterize the mental health of the general population and specific groups in Portugal. The following is a non-exhaustive list of some of these studies:
- COVID-19 in Portugal: exploring the immediate psychological impact on the general population
- Protective Elements of Mental Health Status during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Portuguese Population
- Sociodemographic and lifestyle predictors of mental health adaptability during COVID-19 compulsory confinement: A longitudinal study in the Portuguese population
- How Long Does Adaption Last for? An Update on the Psychological Impact of the Confinement in Portugal
- Impact on the Mental and Physical Health of the Portuguese Population during the COVID-19 Confinement
- Exposure to nature and mental health outcomes during COVID-19 lockdown. A comparison between Portugal and Spain
- Impact on Mental Health Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal and Brazil
- Psychosocial Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Mental Health among LGBTQ+ Young Adults: A Cross-Cultural Comparison across Six Nations
- Impact of Covid-19 in Global Health and Psychosocial Risks at Work
- Burnout among Portuguese healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
- A Wake-up Call for Burnout in Portuguese Physicians During the COVID-19 Outbreak: National Survey Study
- Nurses' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study
Source: Portuguese Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health (SPPSM) and National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA)