Factors Related to Psychological Distress during the First Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Chilean Population

Abstract

The health effects of COVID-19 continue to raise doubts today. In some areas, such as mental health, these doubts have scarcely been addressed. The present study analyses the effects on psychological distress during the first phase of the pandemic in Chile. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed by using a questionnaire validated in Spain and adapted for Chile. Between 22 April and 16 December 2020, 3227 questionnaires were collected from the 16 regions of Chile, using non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression were performed. The variables that could predict psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile were: having a poor self-perception of health OR = 4.038, 95% CI = (2.831, 5.758); being younger than 29 OR = 2.287, 95% CI = (1.893, 2.762); having diarrhea OR = 2.093, 95% CI = (1.414, 3.098); having headache OR = 2.019, 95% CI = (1.662, 2.453); being a woman OR = 1.638, 95% CI = (1.363, 1.967); having muscle pain OR = 1.439, 95% CI = (1.114, 1.859); and having had casual contact with an infected person OR = 1.410, 95% CI = (1.138, 1.747). In Chile, with a better social, economic, cultural, and health environment compared to neighboring countries, there has been a high percentage of psychological distress. It is time to prioritize measures to safeguard the mental health of Chileans, especially focused on the most vulnerable population according to our results, i.e., young women with poorer health status.

Work Engagement, Work Environment, and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ecuador

“…Although we also confirmed+ the existence of psychological distress in the studied setting, its level (GHQ ≥ 3 = 62.6%) is not very different from that observed in other countries where the same instrument was used, such as Argentina (60.9%) [13], Spain (65.2%) [35], Peru (59.68%) [11], and Portugal (57.2%) [36], and it was lower than in Chile (78.83%) [12]. This study also found a perceived need for psychological support in professionals and volunteers involved in responding to the pandemic, including those affected by the disease and their families, a fact that has been previously reported in health care workers [37] and non-health care workers [28].…”

“…These statistics placed the country among those with the highest number of cases and deaths per capita in the world [ 4 , 5 ]. Many studies have assessed the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the development of psychological distress in the general population and health care workers of Ecuador, evidencing a moderate-high level of psychological distress in both groups [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], in agreement with other studies in nearby Latin American countries [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

“…Women showed significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than males, a common finding in most studies around the world [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 32 , 33 ]. Restrictive measures regarding schools and day-care centres may significantly increase the burden on women at home, leading to fatigue and a reduction in their work performance [ 12 , 21 , 27 ]. On the other hand, an increase in domestic violence against women during quarantine due to the pandemic and a higher risk of losing their jobs and incomes could be the reasons for our findings.…”

“…Women showed significantly higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than males, a common finding in most studies around the world [10][11][12]32,33]. Restrictive measures regarding schools and day-care centres may significantly increase the burden on women at home, leading to fatigue and a reduction in their work performance [12,21,27].…”

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Assessment of Sexual Life—Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys among Polish Adults in 2017, 2020 and 2021

“…Some people who have potentially been exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 virus were in quarantine in order to reduce the risk of infecting others. Although social distancing restricts movement less than a quarantine, in both cases, the same psychological effects occurred, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, frustration, confusion, and anger [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In the group of young adults (18–23 years of age), females were at more risk for increased loneliness and depression compared to males [ 7 ].…”