COVID-19 and Brazilian’s mental health: Risk factors and related symptoms

Abstract

In a pandemic, it is necessary to understand who is at higher risk for psychological difficulties. Thus, we aim to investigate psychological symptoms in a Brazilian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associations with sociodemographic, health, and pandemic-related variables. We included 1358 individuals assessed via an online survey through a questionnaire that included sociodemographic and other questions related to the pandemic and the SRQ-20. The results showed that younger adults and women were at a higher risk for minor mental disorders. An investigation about subgroups revealed three clusters representing symptom's severity. The cluster with most symptoms was younger people, had their income most impacted by the pandemic, and had more frequent diagnoses of mental disorders. The subgroups were discriminated mostly due to cognitive-emotional symptoms. We discussed the determinants that can contribute to mental health vulnerability and highlighted the need for state actions for those more vulnerable.