Stress and Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in the General Population and in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients-Findings from a Population-Based Three-Wave Study

Objective: Understanding factors that impaired mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic is extremely relevant in order to mitigate long-term consequences of the pandemic and to promote resilience in future crises. Method: Data were collected in southern Germany in a population-based survey study (CoKoS) with three times of measurement in May 2020, November 2020 and July 2021. Predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured with a short version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) in the general population (N = 758) and individuals who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the beginning of the pandemic (N = 412). We investigated differences between both samples and how stress components (worry, tension, demands and joy) measured with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) varied with depressive and anxiety symptoms over time. Three linear mixed models (GLMMs) were fitted to predict the PHQ-4 stepwise, including sociodemographic variables and stress (PSQ). Results: Depressive and anxiety symptoms increased from May 2020 to November 2020 and remained stable until July 2021. There were no differences between people with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the general population. Those with a pre-existing disease and lower education reported higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Stress explained a substantial fraction of variance in depressive and anxiety symptoms. The stress component worry emerged as the strongest predictor of depressive and anxiety symptoms, whereas joy seemed to buffer these symptoms. Conclusions: The results suggest that mitigating people's worry and increasing joy may promote resilience in future crises. Future studies should assess mental health interventions targeted at vulnerable groups, such as those with lower socioeconomic status and poorer health.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2023

Erschienen:

2023

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:12

Enthalten in:

Journal of clinical medicine - 12(2023), 19 vom: 27. Sept.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Wallis, Hannah [VerfasserIn]
Elgner, Melanie [VerfasserIn]
Schurr, Marisa [VerfasserIn]
Giel, Katrin Elisabeth [VerfasserIn]
Martus, Peter [VerfasserIn]
Paul, Gregor [VerfasserIn]
Jürgensen, Jan Steffen [VerfasserIn]
Allwang, Christine [VerfasserIn]
Mikolajczyk, Rafael [VerfasserIn]
Galante-Gottschalk, Annette [VerfasserIn]
Ehehalt, Stefan [VerfasserIn]
Junne, Florian [VerfasserIn]
Binneböse, Marius [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Anxiety
COVID-19
Depressive symptoms
Journal Article
Mental health
Pandemic
Stress

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 20.10.2023

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/jcm12196240

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM363278451