Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study in the Balearic Islands (Spain)

Confining the entire population to a lockdown after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was an unprecedented measure designed to protect the health of those living in Spain. The objective of the present study is to assess the evolution of mental health and psychological wellbeing during lockdown. To do this,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ripoll Amengual, Joana, Contreras-Martos, Sara, Esteva, Magdalena, Soler Mieras, Aina, Serrano-Ripoll, Maria Jesus
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Repositorio:Repisalud
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/23278
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/23278
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Prospective
Lockdown
COVID-19
Mental health
Anxiety
Depression
Psychotropic drugs
Psychological wellbeing
fear
Life satisfaction
Self-perceived health
Descripción
Sumario:Confining the entire population to a lockdown after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was an unprecedented measure designed to protect the health of those living in Spain. The objective of the present study is to assess the evolution of mental health and psychological wellbeing during lockdown. To do this, we carried out a longitudinal study, via an online survey over the eight weeks of lockdown (weekly assessments). Sociodemographic variables were recorded, along with data related to COVID-19, psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, psychotropic drugs, consultations made to improve mood or anxiety), life satisfaction, and self-perceived health. A total of 681 individuals participated in the study, 76.8% were women; the mean age was 43 years old (SD = 12.7). Initially, high scores were reported for anxiety, depression, and the number of consultations to improve mood, but these decreased significantly over the study period. The reverse seems to be true for life satisfaction, perceived good health, and intake of psychotropic drugs. We also identified groups whose psychological wellbeing was more susceptible to the effects of lockdown. Women, those worried about their jobs after the pandemic, and those afraid of being infected were the most affected individuals. More generally, after the initial negative effect on psychological wellbeing, various indicators improved over the lockdown period.