Coronavirus awareness, confinement stress, and mental health: Evidence from Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain

Factors Related to Psychological Distress during the First Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Chilean Population

“…The sex and age variables, as well as living with children, predict the level of PD, as has been also referred to in the literature [ 24 , 28 , 29 , 38 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…When designing public health policies, the stressors identified in the literature, which are related to financial, academic, and family concerns, should be taken into account, the stress of confinement being a clear predictor of mental health [ 24 ], and obviously influencing the conditions of the home of the confined person. In the present study, we have found that PD is associated with living in houses with no exterior exit (house without a balcony, terrace, yard, or garden), identifying this as the most potentially stressful type of housing, an issue that would be convenient to consider when planning urban development.…”

“…One of the main characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has been classified as a “psychological pandemic”, with great effects on the mental health of the general population and, especially, on health professionals, who have been directly involved in the care of patients with COVID-19 [ 16 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. In this sense, greater psychological affectation has been shown in professionals who were quarantined, who worked in COVID-19 units, or had a family member or friend infected with COVID-19.…”

“…Regarding the general population, women [ 24 ], young people, the self-employed, individuals with previous psychological issues whose follow-up was interrupted [ 28 ], immigrants, or workers of essential activities and in contact with the public were the most affected strata [ 26 , 29 ]. Higher levels of stress, depression, or anxiety have been found in these groups [ 15 , 24 , 30 , 31 , 32 ], as well as somatization [ 24 ] and psychiatric disorders [ 17 ], especially in those patients with previous mental problems [ 33 , 34 ]. However, a study conducted in 21 countries, including Chile, did not find an increase in the number of suicides in the first months of the pandemic [ 35 ].…”

Moral Injury and Light Triad Traits: Anxiety and Depression in Health-Care Personnel During the Coronavirus-2019 Pandemic in Honduras

“…When compared to the general population, health-care workers are at particular risk of suffering mood and anxiety disorders (Kim et al, 2018), even more so in the context of the current pandemic (Hacimusalar et al, 2020;Landa-Blanco et al, 2021). Health-care workers who are on the frontline to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are constantly exposed to stressful situations and extended working hours, this could adversely impact their mental and physical health.…”