COVID-19 pandemic fear, life satisfaction and mental health at the initial stage of the pandemic in the largest cities in Poland

Abstract

The study investigated whether the level of life satisfaction and general mental health was associated with COVID-19 worries at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. A cross-sectional observational study using an online questionnaire was conducted between 19 March and 27 April 2020, i.e. at the beginning of the epidemic in Poland. The study participants were residents of Poland over the age of 18 years. A total of 412 completed responses were received. The majority of respondents were women (75%), 84% respondents were mentally healthy and did not have any diagnosis of mental illnesses. Sixty-eight percent respondents indicated that they had been worried about the COVID-19 pandemic for the average of 21.75 days (SD +-16), while the median period from the onset of epidemic in Poland (20 March) to the participation in the study was 11 days. The main domains of concern included: death of loved ones (75%), severe course of illness in loved ones (72%), healthcare failure (64%), consequences of the pandemic at an individual and social level (64% and 63%, respectively). There was a significant medium decrease in the level of happiness and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 epidemic (p <.001).

A Review of the Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Mental Health, with a Comparison Between the USA, Australia, and Poland with Taiwan and Thailand

“…A Polish study conducted at the beginning of the pandemic, in spring 2020, showed that 68% of respondents were worried about the COVID-19 pandemic. The main areas of concern were: death of loved ones (75%), severe illness in loved ones (72%), failure of healthcare (64%), and individual and social consequences of the pandemic (64% and 63%, respectively) [ 43 ]. Polish research indicates that 30% of respondents changed their alcohol drinking habits during the pandemic: 14% consume more alcohol and 16% consume less [ 44 ].…”

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on reproductive intentions among the Polish population

“…The outbreak of coronavirus disease in late December 2019 in China quickly became an emerging situation, rapidly spreading outside China, which in March 2020 was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization [1]. This pandemic is having a major impact not only on people's physical health but also on mental and sexual well-being [8,9]. As far as we are aware, our study is the first to investigate the intentions for parenthood amongst adult Polish people during the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

Mental Health Support in the Time of Crisis: Are We Prepared? Experiences With the COVID-19 Counselling Programme in Hungary

“…Further, there is a varying amount of evidence available in English for a global audience from different geographies. For example, while there is some limited information available about the mental health consequences of COVID-19 in Central and Eastern Europe (28)(29)(30), studies on pandemic-related mental health interventions are lacking.…”