Changes in Depressive Symptoms, Stress and Social Support in Mexican Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nadya Y. Rivera Rivera,Rosalind J. Wright,Robert O. Wright,Erika Osorio-Valencia,Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz,Martha Maria Téllez-Rojo,Laura McGuinn,Maria José Rosa,Lourdes Schnaas,Sandra Martinez-Medina

doi:10.3390/ijerph18168775

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine changes in depression, stress and social support levels before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in women living in Mexico City. We studied 466 women enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) study who completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) questionnaire prior (2018–2019) and during the lockdown period of the pandemic (May–November 2020). Psychosocial stress and social support for both time periods were ascertained using the Crisis in Family Systems (CRISYS) questionnaire and the Social Support Network (SSN) Scale, respectively. Associations between stress, social support and change in EDS score/depression were analyzed using generalized linear models adjusting for covariates. Higher stress (>median) during the pandemic was associated with an increase in EDS score (β: 2.13; 95% CI (1.06, 3.19), p < 0.001), and higher odds of depression (OR: 3.75; 95% CI (2.17, 6.50), p < 0.001), while social support was associated with lower odds of depression (OR: 0.56, 95% CI (0.32, 0.97), p = 0.037). Higher levels of stress during the pandemic were associated with depression. Social support may act as a buffer for the effects of psychosocial stress. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of stress associated with the pandemic on mental and overall health.

Highlights

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) pandemic has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes related to the morbidity and mortality caused by the disease and to mitigation activities such as stay-athome orders and physical distancing [1]
We examined the report of negative life events (NLEs) in each individual domain by creating a dichotomous variable for whether or not there was a report of a negative life event in each domain
We did not find any significant differences in participant characteristics when comparing the women who did not have data for the pandemic period compared to those included in our sample (Table S2)

Summary

Introduction

(COVID-19) pandemic has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes related to the morbidity and mortality caused by the disease and to mitigation activities such as stay-athome orders and physical distancing [1]. People’s daily life and economic well-being were severely impacted by pandemic prevention measures, such as mandatory school closures and the suspension of all nonessential commercial activities. Regardless of whether the preventive measures succeeded in controlling the outbreak, the widespread lockdown can have significant psychological effects [2]. While the impact of COVID-19 on physical health is better understood, elucidating the burden of a disease outbreak on mental health is fundamental [3]. Mostly from the United States and Europe, have reported on the longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health.

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