Elsevier

Journal of Affective Disorders

Volume 282, 1 March 2021, Pages 495-503
Journal of Affective Disorders

Research paper
Sooner than you think: A very early affective reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine in Argentina

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.124Get rights and content

Highlights

  • More than a third of the studied sample (n = 10,053) showed substantial depressive and anxious symptoms between 5 and 7 days after the start of the national quarantine.

  • 33.7% of the sample scored above the PHQ-9 cutoff for possible diagnosis of a depressive disorder and 23.2% for an anxiety disorder.

  • 28.6% of the participants showed moderate and severe levels of depressive symptoms and 23.2% showed moderate and severe levels of anxiety.

  • The youngest participants were affected the most by the situation.

  • The most important factor related to depressive symptoms was the feeling of loneliness followed by daily stress.

  • The most important factor related to anxious states was negative repetitive thinking followed by feeling of loneliness.

  • The existence of previous mental health difficulties aggravated the reactions, but even people who had not sought out treatment previously showed signs of psychological impact.

Abstract

The unique circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic pose serious challenges to mood stability and emotional regulation at all ages. Although many people tend to react resiliently to stress, others appear to display emotional anxiety and depression-related symptoms. In this study, we carried out a survey (N = 10,053) during the first week of the general lockdown (quarantine) in Argentina to measure early affective reactions in Argentine adults. Respondents showed substantial anxious and depressive symptoms, with 33% and 23% of participants reporting possible depressive and anxious syndromes, respectively, with the youngest group (18 to 25 y.o.) showing the highest prevalence of symptoms. Even if prior mental health problems predisposed or aggravated the reaction, participants without prior complaints showed signs of psychological impact. Using linear regression, the most important independent variables related to depressive symptoms were the feeling of loneliness followed by daily stress. In the case of anxious states, the strongest variables were negative repetitive thinking and feeling of loneliness. Other psychological, economic, and social factors are discussed. This study is in line with previous literature that highlight the importance of the psychological impact of pandemics, but additionally demonstrates that these reactions are present at a large scale immediately after the start of quarantine with very low infectious rates as an early anticipatory adaptive reaction leading to potential negative outcomes from adjustment disorders to major disorders. In addition, the present results provide potentially relevant information about sudden environmental impacts on affective states and specific pathways for anxiety and depression to be expressed. We end by discussing implications for public policy based on considering the most vulnerable groups.

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