ABSTRACT
Spain is one of the countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases per habitant. On March 14, 2020, the Government declared the State of Alarm which included the mandatory confinement of all citizens. On March 30 and April 11, we surveyed 1659 adults to research the relevance of social/work status and personality variables in the prediction of psychological health (anxiety, depression and life satisfaction). Results indicated that women and young reported higher anxiety, depression, conflict between work and family relationship, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Men reported higher emotional stability. The variables considered predicted a substantial percentage of variance on anxiety (36%), depression (38%) and life satisfaction (19%), with a significant relative contribution of personality traits. People with poorer psychological health also showed more conflict between work and family relationships. Working at office was more related to anxiety while working at home was more related to depression. We noted that the influence of impact of job status and conflict between work and family relationship as mental health as performance might depend on individual differences. Depression, anxiety and life satisfaction were predicted by personality and social/work variables, which highlights the importance of consider these variables to address mental health in this situation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Differences in physical and mental health impact across continents during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the levels of impact of COVID-19 on mental health among people from Spain and China and correlated mental health parameters with variables relating to symptoms similar to COVID-19, COVID-19 knowledge, and precautionary measures. METHODS: We collected information on demographic data, physical symptoms, contact history with persons with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, COVID-19 knowledge, and precautionary measures. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21). To analyze the differences in the mental health parameters, the mean scores between Chinese and Spanish respondents were compared using the independent samples t test. The differences in categorical variables between the two samples were analyzed by the chi-square test. Linear regression was used to calculate the univariate associations between the independent variables and mental health parameters for both groups separately, with adjustments made for age, gender, and education. RESULTS: A total of 1528 participants (Spain: n=687; China: n=841) were recruited. The mean age of the Chinese respondents was 24.73 years (SD 7.60; range 18-65 years), and the mean age of the Spanish respondents was 43.06 years (SD 11.95; range 18-76 years). Spanish participants reported significantly more symptoms similar to COVID-19 infection (eg, fever, sore throat, and breathing difficulties), contact history with COVID-19, higher perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, frequent use of medical services, and less confidence in medical services compared with their Chinese counterparts (P<.001). Spanish participants reported significantly higher DASS-21 stress and depression scores, while Chinese participants reported significantly higher IES-R scores (P<.001). Chinese participants encountered more discrimination from other countries (P<.001). Significantly more Chinese participants reported using face masks than Spanish ones (P<.001). More exposure to health information was associated with adverse mental health in Spain (depression: P=.02; anxiety: P=.02; stress: P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that Spanish respondents reported higher levels of stress and depression as well as more symptoms and use of medical services. In preparation for the next pandemic, Spain needs to establish a prompt policy to implement rapid response and enhance medical services to safeguard physical and mental health.
ABSTRACT
Spain is one of the countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases per habitant. On March 14, 2020, the Government declared the State of Alarm which included the mandatory confinement of all citizens. On March 30 and April 11, we surveyed 1659 adults to research the relevance of social/work status and personality variables in the prediction of psychological health (anxiety, depression and life satisfaction). Results indicated that women and young reported higher anxiety, depression, conflict between work and family relationship, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Men reported higher emotional stability. The variables considered predicted a substantial percentage of variance on anxiety (36%), depression (38%) and life satisfaction (19%), with a significant relative contribution of personality traits. People with poorer psychological health also showed more conflict between work and family relationships. Working at office was more related to anxiety while working at home was more related to depression. We noted that the influence of impact of job status and conflict between work and family relationship as mental health as performance might depend on individual differences. Depression, anxiety and life satisfaction were predicted by personality and social/work variables, which highlights the importance of consider these variables to address mental health in this situation.