Related Health Factors of Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain

Juan Gómez-Salgado, Montserrat Andrés-Villas, Sara Domínguez-Salas, Diego Díaz-Milanés and Carlos Ruiz-Frutos
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Juan Gómez-Salgado: Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Montserrat Andrés-Villas: Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Psychology, and Sports Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Sara Domínguez-Salas: Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain
Diego Díaz-Milanés: Department of Social, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Psychology, and Sports Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Carlos Ruiz-Frutos: Department of Sociology, Social Work and Public Health, Faculty of Labour Sciences, University of Huelva, 21007 Huelva, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Measures to prevent and contain the COVID-19 health crisis include population confinement, with the consequent isolation and interruption of their usual activities. The aim of the study is to analyse psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, a cross-sectional observational study with a sample of 4180 people over the age of 18 during quarantine was developed. Variables considered were sociodemographic variables, physical symptoms, health conditions, COVID-19 contact history and psychological adjustment. The data were collected through a self-developed questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Bivariate analyses were performed, including Chi-Squared test and Student’s T-test. Predictive ability was calculated through logistic regression. Results obtained showed a high level of psychological distress (72.0%), with a higher percentage in women and people of lower middle age. Statistically significant differences were found in the variable working situation (χ² = 63.139, p ≤ 0.001, V = 0.123) and living with children under the age of 16 (χ² = 7.393, p = 0.007, V = 0.042). The predictive variables with the highest weight were sex (OR = 1.952, 95% IC = (1.667, 2.286)), presence of symptoms (OR = 1.130, 95% CI = (1.074, 1.190)), and having had close contact with an individual with confirmed COVID-19 (OR = 1.241, 95% CI = (1.026, 1.500)). These results could enrich prevention interventions in public health and, in particular, in mental health in similar pandemic situations.

Keywords: COVID-19; psychological distress; pandemic; quarantine; mental health; public health; risk assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

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