Impact of the coronavirus outbreak on mental health in the different Spanish regions

ABSTRACT

Introduction. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that has affected millions of people worldwide, Spain being one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. It is key to study its impact on the mental health of the Spanish population during the lockdown situation. The aim is to analyse maladaptive responses in each autonomous community during the first two weeks after the state of emergency was declared in Spain. Material and Methods. Through an online questionnaire, clinical and sociodemographic information was collected from participants between 19 and 26 March 2020. The DASS-21 and the IES questionnaires were used to evaluate the maladaptive psychological responses. Results. A total of 21,152 people completed the questionnaire. Mean age was 39.75 (SD 14.039), and 69.6% were women. Most of the participants lived in Asturias (36.2%) and Cantabria (11.9%). In the sample as a whole, among the maladaptive responses, depressive symptoms represented the highest percentage (46.7%), followed by stress (33.2%) and anxiety (10.7%) symptoms. The results of the DASS-21 revealed that a higher proportion of the people from Andalusia [N=1979 (9.3%))]were affected in all three domains depressive (59.7%), stress (41.7 %), and anxiety (16.2%) symptoms, Castilla La Mancha had the highest percentage of intrusive response (31.2%), while Andalusia had the highest percentage of avoidance behaviour (55.7%). Conclusions. Almost half of the sample showed maladaptive reactions, depressive symptoms and avoidance behaviour being the most common responses. Repercussions on mental health during and after large-scale traumatic events should be addressed carefully to minimize maladaptive responses in the general population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) Introduccion. La COVID-19 es una enfermedad infecciosa que esta afectando a millones de personas alrededor del mundo, siendo Espana uno de los paises mas afectados por la pandemia. Es fundamental evaluar el impacto de la salud mental de la poblacion espanola durante el periodo de confinamiento. El objetivo es analizar las respuestas desadaptativas en cada comunidad autonoma durante las dos primeras semanas tras la declaracion del estado de alarma en Espana. Metodologia. A traves de un cuestionario "online", se recogieron variables clinicas y sociodemograficas de los participantes del 19 al 26 de marzo. Para estudiar las respuestas desadaptativas, se utilizaron los cuestionarios DASS-21 y EIE. Resultados. 21.152 personas completaron el cuestionario. La edad media fue 39,75 (DE 14,039) y el 69,6 % eran mujeres. La mayoria de los participantes vivia en Asturias (36,2 %) y Cantabria (11,9 %). La respuesta desadaptativa mas frecuente de la muestra fueron los sintomas depresivos (46,7 %), seguida del estres (33,2 %) y la ansiedad (10,7 %). Los resultados de la DASS-21 desvelaron que en Andalucia [N = 1979 (9,3 %)] se observo un mayor porcentaje en los tres dominios sinto-mas depresivos (59,7 %), estres (41,7 %) y ansiedad (16,2 %). Castilla-La Mancha tuvo el porcentaje mas alto de respuesta intrusiva (31,2 %) y Andalucia de respuesta evitativa (55,7 %). Conclusiones. Casi la mitad de la muestra presento respuestas desadaptativas, siendo los sintomas depresivos y la conducta evitativa las mas frecuentes. El impacto sobre la salud mental durante y tras eventos traumaticos de gran escala deberia de abordarse minuciosamente para minimizar las respuestas desadaptativas en la poblacion general. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)