The Implication of the First Wave of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Results from a Portuguese Sample

Abstract

The social conditions created by the COVID-19 pandemic had a great potential to affect the mental health of individuals. Meta-analyses indicate a rise in these problems in these periods among general populations, patients and health professionals, even with substantial heterogeneous results. This paper examines mental health impacts specifically during the first wave of COVID-19. An online survey was conducted with a Portuguese convenience sample (N = 1.062) comprising questions about substance use, perceived stress, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-damage behaviors. The results concerning substance use show an extensive use of medication to sleep or calm down, especially among women and older respondents, a small percentage of alcohol consumers with a high pattern of use and less frequent cannabis consumption, even with a quarter of users who began only in the COVID-19 period. The rates of perceived stress and PTSD were higher compared with international prevalence estimations during the pandemic conditions. Both correlated measures were worse for women and young people. Another problematic issue was the rate of suicidal ideation, with a relevant proportion of starters during this period. These data reinforce the need to promote access to mental health services.

Understanding Intimate Partner Femicide and Attempted Intimate Partner Femicide During and After COVID-19: A Comprehensive Strain-Based Approach

“…Mental health problems related to the fear of COVID-19, social distancing measures (Piquero et al, 2021), and their consequences on daily life may also heighten perpetrator’s anger and loss of control, subsequently increasing the use of violence (Boxall et al, 2020). The substantial number of suicides and attempted suicides following IPF in 2020 and 2022 may indicate a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ mental health, both during and after the pandemic (Quintas et al, 2022; WHO, 2022). In addition, compared to the years before the pandemic, the prevalence of previous violence (i.e., before the lethal or near-lethal incident) was slightly lower, suggesting that some reported cases involved victims experiencing violence for the first time during the pandemic, consistent with earlier studies (e.g., Pérez et al, 2023).…”

“…Moreover, 11.7% reported moderate to severe levels of depression, 16.9% experienced similar levels of anxiety, and 5.6% classified their stress levels as moderate to severe. In addition, Quintas et al (2022) identified elevated levels of perceived stress and post-traumatic stress disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their study involving 1,062 participants, 65% reported moderate levels of perceived stress, and 31.5% displayed symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorders.…”

“…Several studies conducted in Portugal have investigated the adverse effects of the initial lockdown and disease control measures on the quality of life and mental health of the Portuguese population (Gaspar et al, 2021; Morgado et al, 2021; Paulino et al, 2021; Quintas et al, 2022). For example, the study by Paulino et al (2021), with a sample size of 10,529 participants, revealed that 49.2% perceived the outbreak as having a moderate to severe psychological impact.…”