Dataset Information

Risk of stress/depression and functional impairment in Denmark immediately following a COVID-19 shutdown.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Existing estimates of the impact of the COVID-19 burden on mental wellbeing come from countries with high mortality rates. This study therefore aimed to investigate the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown (March-April 2020) on risk for stress/depression and functional impairment in a representative sample of adult individuals in Denmark, which had lower infection rates, and whether the impact of lockdown was heterogeneous across living situation.

Methods

Using a representative, randomly drawn sample from the complete Danish adult population interviewed in March 2 to April 13, 2020 (n = 2836) and again in July 2020 (n = 1526, 54% retention rate), we study how the imposed lockdown announced March 11 following the onset of the first Danish wave of COVID-19 infections affected mental wellbeing. We use the World Health Organization Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) to capture risk for stress/depression (WHO-5 < 50) and functional impairment (WSAS > 10). Using covariate adjusted ordinary least squares linear probability models and exploiting variation in the timing of responses occurring just before and just after the introduction of lockdown, we compare respondents before lockdown to respondents that answered during lockdown, as well as to answers in re-interviews in July.

Results

In our fully controlled models, we find reduced depressive symptoms among adults immediately after the shutdown, concentrated in adults with children living at home (-.089, p < .01 (from pre lockdown baseline .273)). Measures of functional impairment also declined immediately after the March shutdown among adults with children living at home (-.066, p < .05 (from pre lockdown baseline .150)). Impairment intensified for the entire sample between March and July (+.199, p < .001 (from pre lockdown baseline .248)), but depressive symptoms remained at lower rate in July (-.033, p < .05 (from pre lockdown baseline .332).

Conclusions

Findings in Denmark indicate that living with children at home may have, in the short term, buffered the potential mental health sequelae of the COVID-19 shutdown.

SUBMITTER: Andersen LH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8149922 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAnger is associated with dysfunction following potentially traumatic events. It is still unclear to what extent different types of anger are differentially related to poor outcomes. To advance knowledge in this area, the Posttraumatic Anger Questionnaire (PAQ) was designed, measuring anger directed at (i) the justice system, (ii) other people, (iii) the self, (iv) people held accountable for the potential traumatic event, and (v) a desire for revenge to those held responsible. Preliminary evidence shows that these types of anger are distinguishable and differentially associated with posttraumatic stress (PTS). No studies have yet examined whether such findings can be generalized to victims of non-fatal traffic accidents, one of the most common potentially traumatic events.ObjectiveThis study's aims were (i) to establish if the five-factor structure of the PAQ found in prior studies could be replicated, (ii) to explore whether the intensity of emerging types of anger differed, and (iii) to explore the associations of anger-types with levels of PTS, depression, and functional impairment.MethodTwo-hundred and fifty adults who experienced a traffic accident completed the PAQ and instruments measuring PTS, depression, and functional impairment. They also answered questions about their socio-demographic characteristics and features of the accident.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the PAQ measures five types of anger. Levels of anger at people held accountable were the highest. Structural equation modelling showed that both anger at others and anger at the self, but not the other three anger types, were associated with PTS, depression, and functional impairment, when controlling for the shared variance between the anger types, socio-demographic variables, and features of the accident.ConclusionsFindings illustrate the potential importance of considering different types of anger when assessing and treating PTS following traffic accidents.HighlightsBased on data from people confronted with a traffic accident, we found the Posttraumatic Anger Questionnaire (PAQ) to represent distinguishable dimensions of anger.Anger dimensions were: anger directed at (i) the justice system, (ii) other people, (iii) the self, (iv) people held accountable for the event, and (v) a desire for revenge to those held responsible.Scores on items measuring anger at people held accountable for the event were significantly higher than scores on items measuring other anger types.Anger at the self and other people were most strongly associated with posttraumatic stress, depression, and functional impairment.