Impact of the coronavirus outbreak on mental health in the different Spanish regions

Abstract

Introduction. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that has affected millions of people worldwide, Spain being one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. It is key to study its impact on the mental health of the Spanish population during the lockdown situation. The aim is to analyse maladaptive responses in each autonomous community during the first two weeks after the state of emergency was declared in Spain.

Material and Methods. Through an online questionnaire, clinical and sociodemographic information was collected from participants between 19 and 26 March 2020. The DASS-21 and the IES questionnaires were used to evaluate the maladaptive psychological responses.

Results. A total of 21,152 people completed the questionnaire. Mean age was 39.75 (SD 14.039), and 69.6% were women. Most of the participants lived in Asturias (36.2%) and Cantabria (11.9%). In the sample as a whole, among the maladaptive responses, depressive symptoms represented the highest percentage (46.7%), followed by stress (33.2%) and anxiety (10.7%) symptoms. The results of the DASS-21 revealed that a higher proportion of the people from Andalusia [N=1979 (9.3%))]were affected in all three domains: depressive (59.7%), stress (41.7 %), and anxiety (16.2%) symptoms, Castilla La Mancha had the highest percentage of intrusive response (31.2%), while Andalusia had the highest percentage of avoidance behaviour (55.7%).

Conclusions. Almost half of the sample showed maladaptive reactions, depressive symptoms and avoidance behaviour being the most common responses. Repercussions on mental health during and after large-scale traumatic events should be addressed carefully to minimize maladaptive responses in the general population.