Incidence of PTSD and generalized anxiety symptoms during the first wave of COVID-19 outbreak: an exploratory study of a large sample of the Italian population

Eleonora Brivio,Paolo Guiddi,Gabriella Pravettoni,Serena Oliveri

doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11168-y

Eleonora Brivio, Paolo Guiddi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11168-y

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Abstract

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and May 2020, in Italy, people were asked to shelter in place and most had to put their life on hold, while news of the spread of the virus constantly were broadcasted. The change in habits and the potential exposure to a dangerous virus can be categorized as a catastrophic event, which are usually traumatic and therefore have psychological consequences for the people involved.ObjectiveAssuming the COVID-19 pandemic as a possible traumatic event, this study aims to explore the contingent behavioural and psychological impact of COVID-19 spread and related lockdown on the Italian general population, through measuring anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms .MethodsAn ad hoc-survey was set up for the this exploratory research, including the standardized Italian versions of the Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) and the Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7), and ad hoc items concerning behavioural reactions due to the pandemic spread and related mass quarantine. Participants were recruited across convenient web-based and mobile app channels using a snowball sampling technique. Data was collected from March 25th to May 1st, 2020.ParticipantsOne-thousand one hundred and ninety-five individuals (851 women and 342 men) completed 60% or more of the survey and were considered for analyses. Mean age was 40 years (s.d. = 14.948). Participants resided in 78 Italian provinces (out of 107 territorial divisions), with 25.7% residing in the Milan province and 9.2% from the Monza and Brianza provinces, closest to the epicentre of the Italian outbreak.ResultsDuring the worst months of the first wave of the Pandemic, the Italian population suffered high level of distress (GAD-7 m = 6.89, s.d. = 5.08; IER-R mean score = 27.86, s.d. 17.46), respectively indicating mild presence of anxiety symptoms, and high levels of PTSD symptoms. Gender seems to be a discriminating variable with women scoring significantly higher than man, both for anxiety symptoms (H (1) = 82.91, p < .001) and all dimensions of PTSD symptoms (intrusion H (1) = 71.23, p < .001, avoidance H (1) = 61.28, p < .001), and hyperarousal (H (1) = 67.348, p < .001). People from Generations Y and Z show to be at higher risk of developing PTSD (V = .746, F (3,1041) =1017.19, p = .001) and GAD symptoms (F (3,1041) = 5.113, p = .002) than older generations.ConclusionsGender and generation appeared to be the most consistent risk factor for higher levels of generalized anxiety and PTSD symptoms in the current pandemic. Other variables – such as information seeking behaviours, parental and marriage status, chronic conditions – yielded less consistent evidence. Results indicate the need of including psychological interventions as a standard tool during the emergency management of a catastrophic events such as a pandemic.

Highlights

During the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and May 2020, in Italy, people were asked to shelter in place and most had to put their life on hold, while news of the spread of the virus constantly were broadcasted
Participants who were caregivers for immunocompromised individuals did not significantly differ for any of the considered variables, the Intrusion subscale showed a slight trend toward significance (IES_RI; U = 53,209, z = − 1.83, p = .066)
While negative psychological reactions are to be expected [63], it is important to act swiftly to avoid a psychological crisis in which symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) develop into full-blown disorders

Summary

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and May 2020, in Italy, people were asked to shelter in place and most had to put their life on hold, while news of the spread of the virus constantly were broadcasted. The COVID-19 pandemic originated in Wuhan, China and spread to Europe in January 2020 Among these EU countries, Italy was one of the countries most severely struck by the pandemic. Fear, restriction, and generalized impotence resulting from the media’s constant reporting of increasing numbers of infected individuals and associated deaths, Italy rose to the occasion and quickly became a key leader in the fight against the virus [2, 3]. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), was the first new infectious disease of the twenty-first century and with its spread, stress, stigma, and anxiety became common manifestations among infected individuals [10, 11]. In 2006, results from research conducted on 129 people quarantined in Toronto during the spread of SARS showed an incidence of 31.2% for Depression and 28.9% for PTSD [12]

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