Abstract
Italy was the first European country that entered a nationwide lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since quarantine can impact on mental health, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms and sleeping disturbances in the Italian population during lockdown. The factors that might influence such outcomes were explored. A national cross-sectional survey was performed during the last 14 days of the Italian lockdown. Questionnaires assessed socio-demographics characteristic, behaviors and healthcare access. The outcomes were assessed using Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2. Participants with sleep disturbances completed the Insomnia Severity Index. The sample size was 1515. Depression and anxiety symptom prevalence was 24.7% and 23.2%; 42.2% had sleep disturbances and, among them, 17.4% reported moderate/severe insomnia. Being female, an increased time spent on the internet and an avoidance of activities through peer pressure increased the likelihood of at least one mental health outcome. Increasing age, an absence of work-related troubles and being married or being a cohabitant reduced such a probability. Females and participants with chronic conditions were associated with a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances. It is crucial to study effective interventions, specifically planning strategies, for more vulnerable groups and to consider the role of the internet.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has already been recognized as a cause of direct and indirect psychological and social consequences that might impact on mental health (MH) during the pandemic per se and in the future [1]
The scales used to screen for MH issues returned a 24.7% prevalence of depression symptoms and a 23.2% prevalence of anxiety disorder
19.9% resulted to have no clinical insomnia, 62.7% to suffer from subthreshold insomnia, 16.3% to suffer from a moderate clinical insomnia and only 1.1%
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) has already been recognized as a cause of direct and indirect psychological and social consequences that might impact on mental health (MH) during the pandemic per se and in the future [1]. The quarantine effects have already been explored during past outbreaks, such as during the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory. Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and Ebola in 2014, indicating that the MH impact can be broad, massive and long-lasting [2]. Among the consequences of quarantine, there are acute stress disorders, anxiety, irritability, poor concentration and indecisiveness, deteriorating work performance, post-traumatic stress disorders, high psychological distress, depressive symptoms and insomnia [2]. Other authors have outlined how past confinement studies
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
