Early Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: A National Survey

Abstract

Background: Isolation measures used to contain epidemics generate social interaction restrictions and impose changes in routines of the public that increase negative psychological outcomes. Anxiety and depression are the most common symptoms. Objective: To evaluate the mental health of the Brazilian population during the SARs-CoV-2 pandemic and its relationship with demographic and health characteristics. Methods: Adults from all Brazilian States participated (n = 12,196; women: 69.8%, mean age = 35.2 years). The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale–revised were used (online survey). Data validity and reliability were verified by confirmatory factor analysis and ordinal alpha coefficient. The probability of presenting psychological symptoms was calculated by multiple logistic regression and odds ratio (OR) (0 = without symptoms, 1 = with mild, moderate, and severe levels of symptoms). Results: High prevalence of depression (61.3%), anxiety (44.2%), stress (50.8%), and psychological impact (54.9%) due to the isolation experienced from the pandemic was found. Younger individuals (OR = 1.58–3.58), those that felt unsafe (OR = 1.75–2.92), with a previous diagnosis of mental health (OR = 1.72–2.64) and/or had general health problems before the pandemic (OR = 1.17–1.51), who noticed changes in their mental state due to the pandemic context (OR = 2.53–9.07), and excessively exposed to the news (OR = 1.19–2.18) were at increased risk of developing symptoms. Women (OR = 1.35–1.65) and those with lower economic status (OR = 1.38–2.69) were more likely to develop psychological symptoms. Lower educational levels increased the likelihood of depressive (OR = 1.03–1.34) and intrusive symptoms (OR = 1.09–1.51). Conclusions: The pandemic and related factors can have a high impact on the mental health of the population. Demographic characteristics can influence the occurrence of psychological symptoms.

Brazilian Adaptation of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale: A Psychometric Investigation of a Measure of Coronaphobia

“…Furthermore, studies conducted in Brazil (Abad et al, 2020;Barros et al, 2020) and other countries (Jia et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020) suggested that women and participants with a history of anxiety are segments within the Brazilian population that are vulnerable to clinical anxiety. It is also argued that the greatest vulnerability of women to the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic is related to socio-cultural factors (Campos et al, 2020). Interestingly, the CAS-BR items #2 (sleep) and #3 (paralysis) are stronger indicators of coronavirus anxiety for women.…”

Early evidence and predictors of mental distress of adults one month in the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil

“…Brazil in particular suffered from the malmanagement of the COVID crisis by its President Jair Bolsonaro. In such a context, researchers have found adults in Brazil had elevated levels of anxiety and depression during pandemic [ 10 , 11 ], and the high prevalence of mental disorders might be due to the social isolation [ 11 ]. Health care workers reported symptoms of burnout, anxiety, distress and depression [ 12 ].…”

“…However, perceived risk of contagion was not a significant predictor of distress [ 13 ]. Being females [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 ], lower socioeconomic status, lower educational levels [ 11 ], exposure to COVID-19 information [ 11 , 16 , 17 ], and reduced income during the pandemic were factors related to worse mental health [ 17 ].…”

South Korean Nurses’ Experiences with Patient Care at a COVID-19-Designated Hospital: Growth after the Frontline Battle against an Infectious Disease Pandemic

“…Research has indicated that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people are experiencing high levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as levels of post-traumatic stress that are above the cut-off for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [5][6][7]. Healthcare professionals who come in close contact with COVID-19 patients are deeply affected by this novel virus and experience mental health challenges, including stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and burnout [8][9][10][11][12][13], which can have deleterious effects on their quality of life [11] and increase their turnover intention [14].…”