Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study in the Balearic Islands (Spain)
Open Access
- 20 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Vol. 10 (14), 3191
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10143191
Abstract
Confining the entire population to a lockdown after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was an unprecedented measure designed to protect the health of those living in Spain. The objective of the present study is to assess the evolution of mental health and psychological wellbeing during lockdown. To do this, we carried out a longitudinal study, via an online survey over the eight weeks of lockdown (weekly assessments). Sociodemographic variables were recorded, along with data related to COVID-19, psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, psychotropic drugs, consultations made to improve mood or anxiety), life satisfaction, and self-perceived health. A total of 681 individuals participated in the study, 76.8% were women; the mean age was 43 years old (SD = 12.7). Initially, high scores were reported for anxiety, depression, and the number of consultations to improve mood, but these decreased significantly over the study period. The reverse seems to be true for life satisfaction, perceived good health, and intake of psychotropic drugs. We also identified groups whose psychological wellbeing was more susceptible to the effects of lockdown. Women, those worried about their jobs after the pandemic, and those afraid of being infected were the most affected individuals. More generally, after the initial negative effect on psychological wellbeing, various indicators improved over the lockdown period.Funding Information
- Balearic Islands Health Research Institute ((grant number Covid19-23))
This publication has 53 references indexed in Scilit:
- A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendationsGeneral Psychiatry, 2020
- COVID-19: the gendered impacts of the outbreakThe Lancet, 2020
- Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in ChinaInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
- Mental Health Strategies to Combat the Psychological Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Beyond Paranoia and PanicAnnals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 2020
- The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidenceThe Lancet, 2020
- Psychological interventions for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemicThe Lancet Psychiatry, 2020
- Cultural adaptation into Spanish of the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale as a screening toolHealth and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2010
- A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety DisorderArchives of Internal Medicine, 2006
- The PHQ-9Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2001
- Validation and Utility of the Patient Health Questionnaire in Diagnosing Mental Disorders in 1003 General Hospital Spanish InpatientsPsychosomatic Medicine, 2001