How did mental health outcomes in the Italian general population change 14 months into the COVID-19 pandemic? univaq SantaLuciaIRCCS COVID19 voronavirus covid pandemic mentalhealth health
By Dr. Chinta SidharthanFeb 6 2023Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. In a recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, a team of researchers from Italy investigated the change in mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and stress-related problems among the general population 14 months after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The rates of self-reported symptoms of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety were 28% among over 18,000 individuals, with demographic groups such as females, younger people, people with lower education, homemakers, and unemployed individuals experiencing worse outcomes of mental health. They also examined the role of resilience and age in response to COVID-19-related stress.
Additionally, a nine-item patient health questionnaire and a seven-item generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire were used to assess depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The sociodemographic predictors used in the analysis were age, gender, employment type, education, geographical area of residence, nationality, history of SARS-CoV-2 infections, working pattern , and the frequency at which the individuals had socialized in the last one year.