The Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 and Lockdown in the Spanish Population: An Exploratory Sequential Design

María Dolores Hidalgo, Nekane Balluerka, Arantxa Gorostiaga, José Pedro Espada, Miguel Ángel Santed, José Luis Padilla and Juana Gómez-Benito
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María Dolores Hidalgo: Department of Basic Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Nekane Balluerka: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
Arantxa Gorostiaga: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain
José Pedro Espada: Department of Health Psychology, Faculty of Social Health Sciences, Miguel Hernández University, 03202 Elche, Spain
Miguel Ángel Santed: Department of Personality Psychology, Psychological Assessment and Treatment, Faculty of Psychology, National Distance Education University (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain
José Luis Padilla: Department of Methodology for Behavioural Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Juana Gómez-Benito: Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to analyze the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown in the Spanish population and to identify what population profiles were most affected. The study used a sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative phase, 40 participants were recruited based on theoretically relevant criteria and the saturation of the information provided by the interviews. In the quantitative phase, a large representative sample was applied. The universe considered was the adult population of Spain. A total of 6789 surveys were conducted. Both the analysis of the narratives of the interviews and the responses to the panel survey showed relevant changes in attitudes and mood swings compared to the period prior to lockdown. These changes include dysphoric moods (i.e., experiences of distress such as sadness/depression, anxiety, rage, feeling of unreality, worry, etc.) and also some euphoric moods (i.e., feelings of well-being, happiness, etc.). A higher number of women were affected than men and a greater increase was observed in younger people. The findings of the study may serve as a basis for detecting needs and providing psychological support, as the symptoms detected as the most common are key for the processes of screening at-risk individuals.

Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; psychological distress; mixed methods (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 (6)

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