Social Inequities in the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Measures on the Mental Health of a Large Sample of the Colombian Population (PSY-COVID Study).

Juan P Sanabria-Mazo,Jorge L Méndez-Ulrich,Juan V Luciano,Anna Muro,Clara Selva-Olid,Pedro P Ochoa,Antoni Sanz,Diego F Rojas-Gualdrón,Albert Feliu-Soler,Corel Mateo-Canedo,Bernardo Useche-Aldana,Meritxell Carmona-Cervelló,Neus Crespo-Puig

doi:10.3390/jcm10225297

Abstract

The identification of general population groups particularly vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health and the development of healthcare policies are priority challenges in the current and future pandemics. This study aimed to identify the personal and social determinants of the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on mental health in a large sample of the Colombian population. In this cross-sectional study, an anonymous online survey was answered by 18,061 participants from the general population residing in Colombia during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (from 20 May to 20 June 2020). The risk of depression, anxiety, and somatization disorders were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2), and Somatic Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-5), respectively. Overall, 35% of participants showed risk of depression, 29% of anxiety, and 31% of somatization. According to the analysis of social determinants of health, the most affected groups were people with low incomes, students, and young adults (18–29 years). Specifically, low-income young females were the most at-risk population group. These findings show how the lockdown measures affected the general population’s mental health in Colombia and highlight some social risk factors in health.

Highlights

The first case of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, and it has spread exponentially around the world [1]
The sample consisted of 18,061 residents in Colombia during the COVID-19 lockdown measures
Reported medium incomes, 45.5% were formal workers during the lockdown, 19.5% were students, 89.6% had a university education, 91.4% did not identify themselves as part of any ethnic group, 91.8% were living in urban areas, and 51.9% lived in the Andean region

Summary

Introduction

The first case of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, and it has spread exponentially around the world [1]. A pandemic is defined as “an epidemic occurring worldwide or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people” [6]. The design and development of epidemiological models that consider the psychosocial variables of the different infection links’ processes are a priority for public health [8]. In 2005, the WHO developed a model of the social determinants of health, differentiating between structural determinants related to the macro-economic and political context; and intermediate determinants associated with living conditions and biological and psychosocial factors [9]. The social determinants of health that have been systematically studied are gender, socioeconomic factors, working conditions, education level, ethnicity, and stages in the life cycle [10]

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