Abstract
The occurrence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (COVID-19) at the end of 2019 comes along with many challenges. Besides worry for one’s own health and the well-being of the family, all measures applied to limit the spread of the coronavirus affected daily life. School closures, economic shutdown and contact restrictions have led to high levels of stress. The impact on health and families has been widely discussed. However, population-based data are scarce. Here, we have assessed health, quality of life and intrafamilial relations depending on the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a three-step random-route approach, a population-based sample of 2,515 persons (52.6% female, average age of 50.3 years) was recruited during the second COVID-19 wave in Germany in winter 2020/21. While the majority of participants reported no change in their health status and the relationship with their partner and children, more than half of participants reported a decreased quality of life since the beginning of the pandemic. Female gender, age above 60 years, a low household income, not living with a partner and the experience of childhood adversity were associated with a higher risk for a worsening of health, quality of life and intrafamilial relations. These had already been well-established risk factors ahead of the pandemic. In order to avoid further increase of inequality in our society and more devastating impact of the pandemic on health and intrafamilial relations, low-level support and intervention programs are urgently needed.
Highlights
After the occurrence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) at the end of 2019, governments set up multiple restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus
While the first lockdown ended via gradual relaxations – the first schools reopened on May 4th, the openings of schools and kindergartens stretched to the end of June 2020 -Germany has faced a second lockdown in winter 2020/2021 with again closures of most shops, service businesses, day care for children, schools switched to distance education (Bundeministerium für Gesundheit, 2022)
In order to illustrate the possible risk factors for worse coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic we examined our data on the variables gender, equalized household income (3,000€) and number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (0 vs. 1– 3 vs. ≥4)
Summary
After the occurrence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) at the end of 2019, governments set up multiple restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. These restrictions, including school closures, social distancing and economic shutdown helped to fight the increasing numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and death cases (Alfano and Ercolano, 2020). The first lockdown in Germany began on March 22, 2020 and encompassed contact restrictions, school and Kindergarten closures, orders to work from home and shutdown of public life with closing of shops (except supermarkets and drugstores) and service companies, ban on private gatherings and large events, and limitations in healthcare access, welfare and other support facilities. To date more than 10 million SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported in Germany and more than 100,000 persons have died with COVID-19 (Robert Koch-Institut, 2022)
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