Common Mental Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Frequency and Associated Factors

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the frequency and associated factors of symptoms of common mental disorders in the Brazilian population at the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A sample of 1,482 adults, with a mean age of 34.68 years (SD = 13.66 years), 76.8% female, answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale. Atypical high levels of symptoms of common disorders were observed, as well as self-mutilation, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. The mindful trait was the main factor negatively associated with both anxiety and depression symptoms. Worse financial conditions and non-normative sexual orientation predicted symptoms of anxiety Clinical Psychology Common Mental Disorders During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Frequency and Associated Factors Transtornos mentais comuns durante a pandemia da covid-19: frequência e fatores associados Trastornos mentales comunes durante la pandemia de covid-19: frecuencia y factores asociados Renata Saldanha-Silva 1 renatasaldanhasilva@gmail.com Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Brazil João Guilherme de Figueredo-Campos 1 Faculdade Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Brazil Douglas de A. Santos 2 Instituto Raul Soares, Brazil Ver todos los autores Received: 02 April 2021 Accepted: 03 March 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5935/1980-6906/ePTPCP14446.en Abstract: This study aimed to assess the frequency and associated factors of symptoms of common mental disorders in the Brazilian population at the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A sample of 1,482 adults, with a mean age of 34.68 years (SD = 13.66 years), 76.8% female, answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale. Atypical high levels of symptoms of common disorders were observed, as well as self-mutilation, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. The mindful trait was the main factor negatively associated with both anxiety and depression symptoms. Worse financial conditions and non-normative sexual orientation predicted symptoms of anxiety and depression, but no differences were found between the group that followed and the one that did not follow the social distancing measures. From the high clinical indices, the pandemic effect can be inferred, but longitudinal studies could help understand long-term effects.