Abstract

This pandemic has been classified as a “psychological pandemic” that produces anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep disorders. As the mental health effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, continue to unfold, there are still large knowledge gaps about the variables that predispose individuals to, or protect individuals against the disease. However, there are few publications on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens in Latin American countries. In this study, the effects that COVID-19 had on citizens of Peru have been described. For this, 1699 questionnaires, collected between 2 April and 2 September 2020, were analyzed. Descriptive, bivariate analysis was performed with odds ratio (OR) calculations and a data mining methodology. Sociodemographic variables (from the General Health Questionnaire), health conditions and perception, symptoms, and variables related to contact and preventive measures regarding COVID-19 were analyzed. As compared to other countries, less affectation of mental health and increased use of preventive measures were observed. It has been suggested that the country’s precarious health system and poverty rates prior to the pandemic may justify higher mortality figures in Peru than in other Latin American countries, despite prompt action for its containment and compliance with the protective measures. Psychological distress had a greater incidence in women, young people, people without a partner, and people without university studies. The most significant conditioning variables were self-perceived health status, headache or muscle pain over the past 14 days, level of studies, and age. The extensive use of preventive measures against COVID-19 is in line with the strict legislative measures taken, and this is, in turn, in line with other countries when looking at the lower effect on mental health, but contrary when focusing on the high lethality identified. The need to include the economy or availability and quality of healthcare in future studies arises, as well as the suitability to analyze the cause for differences between countries.

Highlights

  • At the end of 2019, in Wuhan City, a group of 44 people presented pneumonia of unknown origin; eleven days later, the first case of death caused by a new coronavirus was reported [1]

  • Latin America has overcome major recent health challenges such as Zika, but they were not as lethal as the current COVID-19, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 caused by SARS-CoV-2, with high rates of subclinical infections and inconsistent and insufficient diagnostic tests detected, making it difficult to know the actual number of people infected [4]

  • This study presents data on the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of citizens in Peru, especially in the development of psychological distress

Read more

Summary

Introduction

At the end of 2019, in Wuhan City, a group of 44 people presented pneumonia of unknown origin; eleven days later, the first case of death caused by a new coronavirus was reported [1]. On 31 December 2019, the WHO declared the first case, but it is suspected that it had already been detected on 17 November [2] This infectious disease spread rapidly, and, on 21 January 2020, the virus reached the American continent, with the first case reported in the USA. Latin America has overcome major recent health challenges such as Zika, but they were not as lethal as the current COVID-19, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 caused by SARS-CoV-2, with high rates of subclinical infections and inconsistent and insufficient diagnostic tests detected, making it difficult to know the actual number of people infected [4]. On 26 March 2021, Peru ranked 20th globally in the number of confirmed cases (1,492,519 cases) and 4th in Latin America, after Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico; regarding lethality, it was ranked 15th globally (50,656 deaths) and 4th in Latin America, having administered 718,881 doses of vaccine [9,10]

Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

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 call