Psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and suppression measures during the first wave in Belgium

Vincent Lorant,Kris Van Den Broeck,Pablo Nicaise,Pierre Smith

doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03109-1

Vincent Lorant, Kris Van Den Broeck + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03109-1

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Abstract

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent suppression measures have had health and social implications for billions of individuals. The aim of this paper is to investigate the risk of psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and suppression measures during the early days of the lockdown. We compared the level of psychological distress at the beginning of that period with a pre-pandemic health survey and assessed the psychological effects of exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in social activity and support.MethodsAn online survey was distributed to the general population in Belgium 3 days after the beginning of the lockdown. 20,792 respondents participated. The psychological distress of the population was measured using the GHQ-12 scale. Social activities and support were assessed using the Social Participation Measure, the Short Loneliness Scale, and the Oslo Social Support Scale. An index of subjective exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic was constructed, as well as a measure of change in occupational status. Measurements were compared to a representative sample of individuals extracted from the Belgian Health Interview Survey of 2018. Bootstrapping was performed and analyses were reweighted to match the Belgian population in order to control for survey selection bias.ResultsHalf of the respondents reported psychological distress in the early days of the lockdown. A longer period of confinement was associated with higher risk of distress. Women and younger age groups were more at risk than men and older age groups, as were respondents who had been exposed to COVID-19. Changes in occupational status and a decrease in social activity and support also increased the risk of psychological distress. Comparing the results with those of the 2018 Belgian Health Interview shows that the early period of the lockdown corresponded to a 2.3-fold increase in psychological distress (95% CI: 2.16–2.45).ConclusionsPsychological distress is associated with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and suppression measures. The association is measurable from the very earliest days of confinement and it affected specific at-risk groups. Authorities should consider ways of limiting the effect of confinement on the mental and social health of the population and developing strategies to mitigate the adverse consequences of suppression measures.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent suppression measures have had health and social implications for billions of individuals
The risk factors of psychological distress are presented in Table 2: Model 1 includes all the variables displayed in the table, while Model 2 controls for age group, gender, level of education, and the presence of a long-term illness
That comparison suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent confinement measures have led to a more than twofold increase the level of psychological distress in the Belgian population compared to normal levels, as measured in the Belgian Health Interview Survey carried out in 2018

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent suppression measures have had health and social implications for billions of individuals. The aim of this paper is to investigate the risk of psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and suppression measures during the early days of the lockdown. In 2020, the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 led many governments around the world to adopt suppression measures, including lockdowns, bans on public events, and social distancing. Such measures, effective in containing the spread of the virus [1], may have had unintended consequences for the mental health of the population. Continuous reports of information about outbreaks in the press and social media were likely to increase stress, anxiety, and fear of the disease and its consequences among the population. Anxiety and stress were likely to be even greater among those affected by the disease at home, those at risk of being affected, and those who had a relative or a close friend outside the home who was affected [3]

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