Abstract
In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, high rates of clinically relevant anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been reported in the Italian population. The persistence of the pandemic and related restrictive measures highlight the need for a reassessment of psychopathological symptoms. The present longitudinal study consisted of two evaluations conducted during the two waves of infection. Participants were asked to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1 (STAI Y1), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). There were no significant differences in depressive symptoms and PTSS scores reported by participants between T0 and T1, with single-case analysis revealing that in 71% and 69% of the participants, depressive symptoms and PTSS symptoms, respectively, remained stable during this period. On the contrary, mean scores comparison showed a significant decrease in anxiety levels, with 19% of participants in whom anxiety symptoms improved at single-case analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that depressive symptoms and PTSS not only occurred in a high percentage of participants but also tended to remain stable over time, thus warranting the importance of large-scale psychological screening and interventions to prevent the chronicization of these symptoms and their evolution to psychopathological disorders.
Highlights
In December 2019, the first SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported in China
Participants were asked to provide sociodemographic and clinical information and complete the following three self-report questionnaires: (1) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y1 to evaluate the presence of anxiety symptoms; (2) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) to assess the levels of depressive symptoms; and (3) PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to examine post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS)
The present study confirmed the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and PTSS during the second wave
Summary
In December 2019, the first SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported in China. The world was plagued by the COVID-19 outbreak in a matter of months [1]. The population had to adapt to drastic changes in routine life and live with constant fear of contagion. It was immediately evident that an event of this magnitude would have a negative impact on the mental health of the general population [2,3] and certain sub-populations, such as healthcare workers, who were directly affected by the consequences of the disease [4,5]. Since 9 March 2020, several restrictive measures have been introduced in Italy to contain the infections, defining different scenarios based on infection data trends [6]. Two so-called “waves of infection” emerged, with an increasing number of cases
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