IntroductionThe impact of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the associated governmental restrictions on mental health have been reported in different countries. This cross-sectional study evaluated mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria and the association with sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, sex, education, income, employment status, partnership status, and migration background).MethodsA representative sample (N = 1,031) of the Austrian general population was surveyed online end of April 2022. Indicators of mental health were depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), insomnia (ISI), alcohol abuse (CAGE), eating disorders (SCOFF), and stress (PSS-10).Results1,031 participants completed the online survey (50.3% women; mean age: 45.6 ± 17.23 years). Cut-offs for clinically relevant depression were exceeded by 28%. 16% scored above the cut-off for clinically relevant anxiety symptoms, 15% for clinical insomnia, 18% for alcohol abuse, 26% for eating disorders, and 65% for moderate to high stress. Comparisons with another cross-sectional representative Austrian sample recruited during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria (April 2020) revealed increases in depression (from 21 to 28%) but no significant changes in anxiety, insomnia, and moderate to high stress. Multivariable logistic regression showed the strongest associations of mental health indicators with age, income, and sex. Increasing age and income were associated with lower odds of mental health symptoms. Being female compared to male increased the odds of depressive symptoms while decreasing the odds of alcohol abuse.DiscussionThe COVID-19 crisis seems particularly stressful for younger adults (<35 years) and people with low income (<€2,000 net household income per month). Policymakers need to consider the high social and economic costs of lockdowns and think of optimal intervention methods for mental disorders among young and low-income individuals.

Adolescents suffer severely from the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examined open-ended responses to a survey on the mental health of school students in Austria in February 2021. A representative sample (n = 214) was drawn from a total survey sample of 3052 adolescents aged 14–20. The analysis revealed several areas of concern, including school-related concerns, concerns about restrictions, self-related concerns, and interpersonal problems. School-related concerns associated with distance learning were mentioned most frequently. Compared with research conducted at the beginning of the pandemic, it appeared that concerns about educational and professional futures increased. The analysis also indicated young people’s most important sources of support, such as social contacts, recreational activities, attitudes and abilities, distraction, and escape. Of concern is the proportion of young people citing maladaptive coping strategies and the reluctance to seek professional support. Ideas for practice-oriented measures were developed from the study results, such as embedding youth-led peer interventions in traditional mental health services.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent governmental restrictions have had a major impact on the daily lives of Austrians and negatively affected their mental health. A representative sample of N = 1505 individuals was recruited via Qualtrics® to participate in an online survey between 23 December 2020 and 4 January 2021. A qualitative study design was used to determine the problem areas that emerged since the beginning of the pandemic (question 1), the factors that were the source of the greatest current concern (question 2), the biggest worries when thinking about the future (question 3), and what the most important source of support (question 4) during the pandemic was. The written responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis following a framework for qualitative research and reported in the form of descriptive statistics. Restrictions imposed by the government, sociopolitical developments, work- and health-related issues, and economic disruptions were identified as being the greatest concerns. Conversely, social contacts within and outside the family were the most important source of support, followed by recreational activities and distraction. Greater consideration should be given to psychosocial factors in future decisions to contain the pandemic. More detailed qualitative research, in particular, to collect the personal experience of more vulnerable groups such as young people, women, and the unemployed, is needed.

Although the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health has been reported in different communities, little is known about the mental health of psychotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austrian psychotherapists and compare it with the general population. A total of n = 513 psychotherapists (80.5% women; mean age: 53.06 ± 9.94 years) took part in an online survey conducted from April to June 2022. At the same time, a representative sample (N = 1,031) of the Austrian general population was surveyed online. Indicators of mental health were mental wellbeing (WHO-5), depression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-2), insomnia (ISI-2), and stress (PSS-10). The general population sample was matched according to age and gender with the psychotherapist's data using propensity scores, yielding a final sample of n = 513 (80.5% women; mean age: 52.33 ± 13.39 years). Psychotherapists showed lower odds for exceeding cut-offs for clinically relevant depressive, anxiety, insomnia and stress symptoms (0.34–0.58) compared to the general population. Further studies should elucidate the protective factors underlying these findings.

Recent studies in African contexts have revealed a strong association between spirit possession and severe trauma, with inclusion into a possession cult serving at times a therapeutic function. Research on spirit possession in the Dominican Republic has so far not included quantitative studies of trauma and dissociation. This study evaluated demographic variables, somatoform dissociative symptoms, and potentially traumatizing events in the Dominican Republic with a group of Vodou practitioners that either do or do not experience spirit possession. Inter-group comparisons revealed that in contrast to non-possessed participants (n = 38), those experiencing spirit possession (n = 47) reported greater somatoform dissociation, more problems with sleep, and previous exposure to mortal danger such as assaults, accidents, or diseases. The two groups did not differ significantly in other types of trauma. The best predictor variable for group classification was somatoform dissociation, although those items could also reflect the experience of followers during a possession episode. A factor analysis across variables resulted in three factors: having to take responsibility early on in life and taking on a professional spiritual role; traumatic events and pain; and distress/dissociation. In comparison with the non-possessed individuals, the possessed ones did not seem to overall have a remarkably more severe story of trauma and seemed to derive economic gains from possession practice.

This study aimed to assess patient numbers and the format in which psychotherapy was delivered by Austrian psychotherapists during different time points of the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore psychotherapists` experiences on pandemic-associated changes in their psychotherapeutic work as well as their wishes for support in their professional activities. Three cross-sectional online surveys were conducted between March 2020 and May 2022. The total number of participating psychotherapists was n = 1547 in 2020, n = 238 in 2021, and n = 510 in 2022. The number of patients treated was highest in 2022 and lowest at the beginning of the pandemic (p < 0.001). During the lockdown in 2020, only 25.0% of patients were treated in personal contact. This proportion increased in the following years, reaching 86.9% in 2022 (p < 0.001). After a substantial increase in the proportion of patients treated via the telephone and internet during the first lockdown, both proportions decreased during the pandemics’ second and third year (p < 0.001). However, a larger proportion of patients were treated via the internet in 2022 compared to pre-pandemic times (p < 0.001). Psychotherapists reported that the pandemic affected mainly the setting in which psychotherapy was provided (29.6%), the working conditions and workload (27.1%), as well as the demand for psychotherapy (26.9%). About one-third of psychotherapists expressed support wishes for their psychotherapeutic work. Results suggest that the pandemic went along with a partial shift in the provision of psychotherapy towards psychotherapy via the internet but not the telephone. The increase in patient numbers and psychotherapists` reports of increased workload suggest a rise in the demand for mental health care during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Access to psychotherapy is still limited by various barriers, and little is known about the facilitating circumstances. This study aims to assess self-reported barriers and facilitators to psychotherapy utilisation in private practice and how these access factors relate to psychotherapy goals as formulated by patients. The dataset consists of 21 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with patients treated by psychotherapists in private practice in Austria. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, including a frequency count of the number of codings to analyse relations between categories. A critical external barrier theme was unaffordable psychotherapy and confusion about how the Austrian funding system works. A negative experience with psychotherapy prior to the current one, such as not being understood and answered well enough by one’s therapist, was a frequently reported internal barrier. Individuals who faced more internal barriers and more external facilitators in seeking therapy, such as moral support from significant others and professionals, formulated less elaborate treatment goals. Although the study was carried out amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic played a minor role in patients’ self-reported barrier and facilitator themes.

Mental healthcare professionals face diverse challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may augment their risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes themselves. We aimed to compare depressive, anxiety, insomnia, and stress symptoms in Austrian clinical psychologists during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Austrian general population. A total of N = 172 Austrian clinical psychologists (91.9% women; mean age: 44.90 ± 7.97 years) participated in an online survey in spring 2022. A representative sample (N = 1011) of the Austrian general population was surveyed simultaneously. Symptoms of depression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-2), insomnia (ISI-2), and stress (PSS-10) were assessed. Differences in the prevalence of clinically relevant symptoms were analyzed using univariate (Chi-squared tests) and multivariable (binary logistic regression including covariates age and gender) analyses. Clinical psychologists showed lower adjusted odds for exceeding the cut-offs for clinically relevant depression (aOR 0.37), anxiety (aOR 0.50), and moderate to high stress levels (aOR 0.31) compared to the general population (p < 0.01). No difference was observed for insomnia (aOR 0.92; p = 0.79). In conclusion, clinical psychologists experience better mental health than the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are needed to analyze the underlying reasons.