Shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological responses from a subjective perspective–A longitudinal mixed-methods study across five European countries

Irina Zrnić Novaković, Dean Ajduković, Helena Bakić, Camila Borges, Margarida Figueiredo-Braga, Annett Lotzin, Xenia Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous, Chrysanthi Lioupi, Jana Darejan Javakhishvili, Lela Tsiskarishvili and Brigitte Lueger-Schuster

PLOS ONE, 2023, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-32

Abstract: Background: Contextual factors are essential for understanding long-term adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the present study investigated changes in mental health outcomes and subjective pandemic-related experiences over time and across countries. The main objective was to explore how psychological responses vary in relation to individual and environmental factors. Methods: The sample consisted of N = 1070 participants from the general population of Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, and Portugal. We applied a longitudinal mixed-methods approach, with baseline assessment in summer and autumn 2020 (T1) and follow-up assessment 12 months later (T2). Qualitative content analysis by Mayring was used to analyse open-ended questions about stressful events, positive and negative aspects of the pandemic, and recommendations on how to cope. Mental health outcomes were assessed with the Adjustment Disorder–New Module 8 (ADNM-8), the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5), the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), and the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The analyses were performed with SPSS Statistics Version 26 and MAXQDA 2022. Results: The mental health outcomes significantly differed over time and across countries, with e.g. Greek participants showing decrease in adjustment disorder symptoms (p = .007) between T1 and T2. Compared with other countries, we found better mental health outcomes in the Austrian and the Croatian sample at both timepoints (p

Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0285078

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285078

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