Individual and community psychological experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic: The state of emergency in Portugal

Abstract

Individuals have different ways of coping with crisis. Individual factors, family and contextual features, and community support may influence how individuals feel, think and act during a crisis. COVID-19 was an unexpected pandemic that forced many European countries to take confinement measures and restrict social face to face interactions. This study is an effort to understand how Portuguese residents dealt with the pandemic during the first confinement period, considering different sociodemographic characteristics and trauma exposure perceptions. Five hundred and five adults, between 18 and 79 years old participated in this study via an online self-report assessment protocol. Sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, employment status, and caring responsibilities had an impact on individuals’ perceptions regarding their exposure to the pandemic and their quality of life. Perceived exposure to the pandemic was found to predict quality of life in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains. Results have practical implications for European and local policy-making, as well as for targeting psychological interventions for those whose mental health has been negatively affected by the pandemic and for those who may become more affected if confinement measures are implemented again.

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic: Strategies employed by different sociodemographic groups and their role on quality of life

“…This is consistent with a recent study in Portugal that also found no differences in mental health outcomes due to the number of roommates, including family or relatives (Pereira et al, 2020). Although a recent study in the context of COVID-19 found that having relatives to care for was associated with better perceptions of quality of life (Morgado et al, 2021), in the current study participants' coping strategies were not influenced by the presence of relatives.…”

“…On the one hand, being married can cause stress due to concerns with one's spouse. Oppositely, not being married may constitute a risk for stress due to a lack of intimate sources of support (Morgado et al, 2021;Norris & Wind, 2010).…”

“…Having children has also been associated with a higher risk for mental ill-being, with mothers particularly at higher risk due to concerns about the safety and well-being of their children (Norris et al, 2002). However, a recent study in the context of COVID-19 found that having dependents was associated with better perceptions of quality of life (Morgado et al, 2021).…”

Portuguese adolescents' cognitive well‐being and basic psychological needs during the COVID‐19 outbreak: A longitudinal study

“…When comparing measures of cognitive well‐being before and during the COVID‐19 outbreak, interesting differences were found, with higher scores observed for satisfaction with life, social support, and perceived quality of life during the pandemic period (T2). This was somehow unexpected, due to the abundant evidence of the negative impact of the pandemic on well‐being and mental health (Coelho et al, 2020 ; Fernández‐Abascal & Martín‐Díaz, 2021 ; Morgado et al, 2021 ; Paulino et al, 2021 ; Rajkumar, 2020 ; Soest et al, 2020 ). However, one must consider the time data were collected (T2): between May and June 2020, by the end of the first confinement period in Portugal.…”

Quality of Life in Danish Patients with Multiple Myeloma during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Quarantine and isolation appear to be associated with poorer mental health such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, avoidance behaviors, depression, fear of own health and socioeconomic distress [2]. Certain groups have shown to be more prone to suffer from traumatic experiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g., women, younger and single adults, unemployed individuals who do not have others to care for them and people worried about financial instability and social isolation [3][4][5]. By contrast, older age and social support seem protective against depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorder and suicidal ideation [5].…”