Prevalence, New Incidence, Course, and Risk Factors of PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and Panic Disorder during the Covid-19 Pandemic in 11 Countries

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and panic disorder (PD) among citizens in 11 countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. We explored risks and protective factors most associated with the development of these mental health disorders and their course at 68 days follow up. We acquired 9543 unique responses via an online survey that was disseminated in UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, India, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Sweden. The prevalence and new incidence during the pandemic for at least one disorder was 48.6% and 17.6%, with the new incidence of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorder being 11.4%, 8.4%, 9.3%, and 3%, respectively. Higher resilience was associated with lower mental health burden for all disorders. Ten to thirteen associated factors explained 79% of the variance in PTSD, 80% in anxiety, 78% in depression, and 89% in PD. To reduce the mental health burden, governments should refrain from implementing many highly restrictive and lasting containment measures. Public health campaigns should focus their effort on alleviating stress and fear, promoting resilience, building public trust in government and medical care, and persuading the population of the measures’ effectiveness. Psychosocial services and resources should be allocated to facilitate individual and community-level recovery from the pandemic.

Contrasting Association Between COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Mental Health Status in India and Saudi Arabia—A Preliminary Evidence Collected During the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, further studies are needed to validate this statement. Similar to our results, a recent multinational study found that country of residence is an important predictor for PTSD during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 65 ).…”

The Moderating Effect of Resilience on Mental Health Deterioration among COVID-19 Survivors in a Mexican Sample

“…We found that people with high resilience show less anxiety when experiencing a relapse than people with medium or low levels of resilience. Similar findings were reported in noninfected populations from a multinational study, where an increase of one standard deviation in the resilience score was associated with reduced rates of anxiety and depression [ 31 ]. Nevertheless, the present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to investigate resilience as a personal factor moderating the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of recovered patients.…”

“…Several studies have evaluated the resilience of populations during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 18 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]; however, a gap in knowledge exists regarding the moderating role of resilience in the mental health deterioration of COVID-19 survivors.…”

Anxiety, Perceived Stress, and Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Population Estimates of Persons Presenting to a General Practitioner in Romania

“…Nearly 40% of respondents reported a mild level of anxiety, while over 10% reported scores indicating moderate to severe symptoms. Prevalence of anxiety among respondents is higher compared to other studies [ 10 , 21 , 51 ]. For instance, a multicenter study, conducted in four countries in western and northern Europe, reported anxiety rates between 20% and 30%, with a slight downward trend by mid-2020 [ 52 ].…”