Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network
Abstract Background The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented traumatic event influencing the healthcare, economic, and social welfare systems worldwide. In order to slow the infection rates, lockdown has been implemented almost everywhere. Italy, one of the countries mo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2020-01-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933820000899/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156337844813824 |
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| author | Andrea Fiorillo Gaia Sampogna Vincenzo Giallonardo Valeria Del Vecchio Mario Luciano Umberto Albert Claudia Carmassi Giuseppe Carrà Francesca Cirulli Bernardo Dell’Osso Maria Giulia Nanni Maurizio Pompili Gabriele Sani Alfonso Tortorella Umberto Volpe |
| author_facet | Andrea Fiorillo Gaia Sampogna Vincenzo Giallonardo Valeria Del Vecchio Mario Luciano Umberto Albert Claudia Carmassi Giuseppe Carrà Francesca Cirulli Bernardo Dell’Osso Maria Giulia Nanni Maurizio Pompili Gabriele Sani Alfonso Tortorella Umberto Volpe |
| author_sort | Andrea Fiorillo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Abstract
Background
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented traumatic event influencing the healthcare, economic, and social welfare systems worldwide. In order to slow the infection rates, lockdown has been implemented almost everywhere. Italy, one of the countries most severely affected, entered the “lockdown” on March 8, 2020.
Methods
The COvid Mental hEalth Trial (COMET) network includes 10 Italian university sites and the National Institute of Health. The whole study has three different phases. The first phase includes an online survey conducted between March and May 2020 in the Italian population. Recruitment took place through email invitation letters, social media, mailing lists of universities, national medical associations, and associations of stakeholders (e.g., associations of users/carers). In order to evaluate the impact of lockdown on depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, multivariate linear regression models were performed, weighted for the propensity score.
Results
The final sample consisted of 20,720 participants. Among them, 12.4% of respondents (N = 2,555) reported severe or extremely severe levels of depressive symptoms, 17.6% (N = 3,627) of anxiety symptoms and 41.6% (N = 8,619) reported to feel at least moderately stressed by the situation at the DASS-21.
According to the multivariate regression models, the depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms significantly worsened from the week April 9–15 to the week April 30 to May 4 (p < 0.0001). Moreover, female respondents and people with pre-existing mental health problems were at higher risk of developing severe depression and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.0001).
Conclusions
Although physical isolation and lockdown represent essential public health measures for containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are a serious threat for mental health and well-being of the general population. As an integral part of COVID-19 response, mental health needs should be addressed.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:49:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3f7222f24b64aca87867316c0c9d6a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:49:49Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3f7222f24b64aca87867316c0c9d6a12023-03-09T12:33:57ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852020-01-016310.1192/j.eurpsy.2020.89Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative networkAndrea Fiorillo0Gaia Sampogna1Vincenzo Giallonardo2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3294-1748Valeria Del Vecchio3Mario Luciano4Umberto Albert5Claudia Carmassi6Giuseppe Carrà7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6877-6169Francesca Cirulli8https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9440-1873Bernardo Dell’Osso9Maria Giulia Nanni10Maurizio Pompili11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1886-4977Gabriele Sani12Alfonso Tortorella13Umberto Volpe14Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste and Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina – ASUGI, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan Bicocca, Milan, ItalyCenter for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, National Institute of Health, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Luigi Sacco and Aldo Ravelli Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milano, ItalyInstitute of Psychiatry, Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, ItalyClinical Psychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy Abstract Background The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented traumatic event influencing the healthcare, economic, and social welfare systems worldwide. In order to slow the infection rates, lockdown has been implemented almost everywhere. Italy, one of the countries most severely affected, entered the “lockdown” on March 8, 2020. Methods The COvid Mental hEalth Trial (COMET) network includes 10 Italian university sites and the National Institute of Health. The whole study has three different phases. The first phase includes an online survey conducted between March and May 2020 in the Italian population. Recruitment took place through email invitation letters, social media, mailing lists of universities, national medical associations, and associations of stakeholders (e.g., associations of users/carers). In order to evaluate the impact of lockdown on depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms, multivariate linear regression models were performed, weighted for the propensity score. Results The final sample consisted of 20,720 participants. Among them, 12.4% of respondents (N = 2,555) reported severe or extremely severe levels of depressive symptoms, 17.6% (N = 3,627) of anxiety symptoms and 41.6% (N = 8,619) reported to feel at least moderately stressed by the situation at the DASS-21. According to the multivariate regression models, the depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms significantly worsened from the week April 9–15 to the week April 30 to May 4 (p < 0.0001). Moreover, female respondents and people with pre-existing mental health problems were at higher risk of developing severe depression and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Although physical isolation and lockdown represent essential public health measures for containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are a serious threat for mental health and well-being of the general population. As an integral part of COVID-19 response, mental health needs should be addressed. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933820000899/type/journal_articleAnxietyCOVID-19depressionlockdownpandemicstress |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Fiorillo Gaia Sampogna Vincenzo Giallonardo Valeria Del Vecchio Mario Luciano Umberto Albert Claudia Carmassi Giuseppe Carrà Francesca Cirulli Bernardo Dell’Osso Maria Giulia Nanni Maurizio Pompili Gabriele Sani Alfonso Tortorella Umberto Volpe Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network European Psychiatry Anxiety COVID-19 depression lockdown pandemic stress |
| title | Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network |
| title_full | Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network |
| title_fullStr | Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network |
| title_short | Effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: Results from the COMET collaborative network |
| title_sort | effects of the lockdown on the mental health of the general population during the covid 19 pandemic in italy results from the comet collaborative network |
| topic | Anxiety COVID-19 depression lockdown pandemic stress |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933820000899/type/journal_article |
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