Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic is burning all over the world. National healthcare systems are facing the contagion with incredible strength, but concern regarding the psychosocial and economic effects is growing quickly. The PsyCovid Study assessed the influence of psychosocial variables on individual differences from the perceived impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the issues of health and economy in the Italian population. Italian volunteers from different regions completed an online anonymous survey. The main outcomes were the perceived impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on health and the economy. A two-way MANOVA evaluated differences in the main outcomes, with geographical area (northern, central, and southern regions) and professional status (healthcare workers or not) as factors. We then tested the relationship linking psychosocial variables (i.e. perceived distress and social isolation, empathy, and coping style) to the main outcomes through two different mediation models. 1163 responders completed the survey (835 females; mean age: 42 ± 13.5 y.o.; age range: 18-81 y.o.) between March 14 and 21, 2020. Healthcare workers and people living in northern Italy reported a significantly worse outbreak impact on health, but not on the economy. In the whole sample, distress and loneliness were key variables influencing the perceived impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on health, while empathy and coping style affected the perceived impact on the economy. The Covid-19 pandemic is a worldwide emergency in terms of psychological, social, and economic consequences. Our data suggests that in the Italian population, actual differences in individual perception of the Covid-19 outbreak severity for health are dramatically modulated by psychosocial frailty (i.e., distress and loneliness). At the same time, problem-oriented coping strategies and enhanced empathic abilities increase people's awareness of the severity of the impact of the Covid-19 emergency on economics. There is an immediate need for consensus guidelines and healthcare policies to support interventions aimed to manage psychosocial distress and increase population resilience towards the imminent crisis.
Highlights
In late 2019, pneumonia cases of an unknown etiology, proven to be caused by a new coronavirus (2019-nCOV or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV2), appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China
We report findings on the baseline assessment of the PsyCOVID study aiming at evaluating differences in the perceived impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on health and economy in the Italian population during the very first days of the extreme social distancing measures, taking into account the impact of demographic variables, regional differences (Northern, Central, and Southern regions), and professional status
Recent data highlighted that a significant proportion of the Italian general population may have moderate-to-severe psychological distress during the early phases of the Covid-19 emergency [18]
Summary
In late 2019, pneumonia cases of an unknown etiology, proven to be caused by a new coronavirus (2019-nCOV or SARS-CoV2), appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. The first two cases in Italy, a couple of Chinese tourists, were registered in Rome [3] at the end of January 2020. Later they were proved to be infected prior to their arrival in Italy [4]. Specific algorithms and protocols were applied, and specialized teams were instituted, in order to control the contagion spread [5]. After the confirmation of 2019nCov positivity of the two Chinese tourists admitted at the Spallanzani Hospital in Rome on February 21, 2020, the Italian government declared a state of emergency [6]. At the time of the last revision of this manuscript (May 13, 2020) in Italy there were 222.104 confirmed case and 31.106 deaths
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