Worry and mental health in the Covid-19 pandemic: vulnerability factors in the general Norwegian population

Abstract

Background There is an urgent need for knowledge about the mental health consequences of the ongoing pandemic. The aim of this study was to identify vulnerability factors for psychological distress and reduced life satisfaction in the general population. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the role of COVID-related worries for psychological distress and life satisfaction. Methods A presumed representative sample for the Norwegian population (n = 1041, response rate = 39.9%) responded to a web-survey in May 2020. The participants were asked about potential vulnerability factors including increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 (underlying illness, older age), socioeconomic disadvantage (living alone, unemployment, economic problems), and pre-existing mental health vulnerability (recent exposure to violence, previous mental health challenges). Additional measures included COVID-related worry, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Results More than one out of four reported current psychological distress over the threshold for clinically significant symptoms. Socioeconomic disadvantages, including living alone and pre-existing economic challenges, and pre-existing mental health vulnerabilities, including recent exposure to violence and previous mental health problems, were associated with a higher level of psychological distress and a lower level of life satisfaction. A higher level of COVID-related worry was significantly associated with a higher level of psychological distress, and a lower level of life satisfaction, even when adjusting for all the vulnerability factors. Conclusion This study identified several vulnerability factors for mental health problems in the pandemic. Individuals recently exposed to violence and individuals with pre-existing mental health problems are at particular risk. Worrying about the consequences of the pandemic contributes negatively to current mental health. However, worry cannot explain the excess distress in vulnerable groups. Future research should focus on how COVID-related strains contribute to mental health problems for vulnerable groups.

Trusting Others During a Pandemic: Investigating Potential Changes in Generalized Trust and Its Relationship With Pandemic-Related Experiences and Worry

“…In total, 39.9% (N = 1,041) completed the survey, 55.8% (N = 1,457) did not respond, 2.7% (N = 71) started the survey but did not complete it, 1.6% (N = 41) clicked on the link to participate but did not confirm their agreement to the terms of the study, and 0.1% (N = 2) withdrew from the study. Our study participants did not significantly differ from non-responders in gender or education, but the sample was highly skewed toward older age, with a mean age of 54.1 in responders and 43.3 in non-responders (Blix et al, 2021).…”

“…Pandemic-related worries the participants were asked to indicate their level of worry on a scale from 1 (not worried) to 7 (very worried) for 12 questions about COVID-related worries adapted from the COSMO study (Betsch et al, 2020). In a previous paper (Blix et al, 2021), we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in support for six worry items that are believed to represent an underlying worry factor. We asked participants how much they worried about "losing someone I love, " "becoming seriously ill from the virus, " "infecting others, " 2 www.europeansocialsurvey.org/data/country.html?c=norway "the health system being overloaded, " "not being able to visit people who depend on me, " and "a new outbreak of COVID-19."…”

“…The pandemic has spurred a massive global research initiative to understand the consequences of the disease threat and the countermeasures for individuals and for society. Risk factors for individual distress related to the pandemic include young age, female gender, financial strain, and unemployment, increased risk for getting seriously ill if catching the virus, psychiatric illness, and extensive worry about the pandemic (Achdut and Refaeli, 2020;Xiong et al, 2020;Blix et al, 2021). Scholars have argued that social capital and social bonds in communities may shape the course of the pandemic (Borgonovi and Andrieu, 2020).…”

Mental Health in Children in the Context of COVID-19: Focus on Discharged Children

“…By the end of May 2021, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) pandemic afflicted more than 170 million people worldwide (1). The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused various mental health problems in the public and vulnerable populations, including healthcare workers, elderly, pregnant women, and children (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Although children have a lower infection rate and relatively mild clinical symptoms, those with COVID-19 infection are considered more susceptible to mental health problems compared with unaffected children (9).…”

A Longitudinal Study of Gambling Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden

“…Population samples of IPGs have reported high levels of psychiatric comorbidity with more than one third meet criteria for an anxiety disorder ( Lorains et al, 2011 ). A Norwegian study during the pandemic showed that those with prior mental health problems, financial problems and those living alone were also more likely to experience higher levels of pandemic related worries ( Blix et al, 2021 ). The effect of the pandemic is diverse as noted but might have an amplifying affect on previous risk factors such a symptoms of anxiety.…”