Psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis on young swiss men participating in a cohort study: Differences due to socioeconomic status and work situation

S Marmet,N Bertholet,G Gmel,J Studer,M Wicki,C Gachoud

doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.293

Abstract

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic impacted daily life worldwide. It may also have had a psychological impact, especially on those with less resources already before the crisis and those who reported substantial changes to their work situation.ObjectivesTo investigate whether socioeconomic status before the crisis and changes in work situation during the crisis (unemployment, home-office) are associated with psychological impact in a cohort of young Swiss men.MethodsA total of 2345 young Swiss men (mean age = 29) completed assessments shortly before (April 2019 to February 2020) and early during the COVID-19 crisis (May to June 2020). Assessments covered psychological outcomes assessed before and during COVID-19 crisis (depression, perceived stress and sleep quality), and assessed during the crisis (fear, isolation and COVID-19 psychological trauma), socioeconomic status (relative financial status and difficulty to pay bills) before the crisis and changes in work situation (unemployment, home-office).ResultsAbout a fifth of the sample were in partial unemployment or lost their job during COVID-19 crisis. Those in partial or full unemployment, those mostly working from home and those with a lower socioeconomic status already prior to the crisis showed overall higher levels of depression, stress, psychological trauma, fear and isolation.ConclusionsEven in a country with high social security such as Switzerland, the COVID-19 crisis had a higher psychological impact on those who were already disadvantaged before the crisis or experienced deteriorations in their work situation. Supporting disadvantaged subpopulations during the crisis may help to prevent an amplification of pre-existing inequalities.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Highlights

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Albanian authorities declared mandatory stay-at-home measures, closing businesses, schools and public places
Differences on the level of education resulted in a lower score of anxiety and depression respectively (F=3.524, p≤.05), (F=7.739, p≤.05) on respondents with higher education
Significant differences were found related to different amounts of time spent on the COVID-19 topic, respectively for anxiety and depression (F=25.736, p≤.001), (F=5.936, p≤.003), with people who spend less than 1 hour scoring higher on depression (M=7.57, ds= 5.849) and those who spend more than 3 hours scoring higher on anxiety (M=6.76, ds=5.60)

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic places older adults at increased risk for hospitalization and mortality. It involves social isolation and negative effects of limited mental, social and physical activity. Holocaust survivors could be especially vulnerable to such effects due to their early life traumas. Objectives: the current study examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Holocaust survivors in Israel, compared to adults who did not experience the Holocaust. Results: Holocaust survivors were worried to a greater extent from COVID-19 infection and from close others becoming infected, compared to older adults who did not experience the Holocaust. Survivors reported greater loneliness and depression overall and reported that these measures became worse during

Methods

Findings