A group of professors and researchers from the School of Health of the University of Algarve are coordinating, in Portugal, an international study that aims to assess the impact of quarantine or isolation on the mental health of the Portuguese population due to Covid-19.
Researchers from the University of Évora, the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and Brazilian universities also participate in this project.
The first phase of the study is completed and the public presentation of preliminary results is being prepared. In mainland Portugal and islands, 918 people were surveyed during the period of confinement.
The sample has an average age of approximately 43 years, 42% were married and more than 70% of respondents were women. Of the married ones, 42% reported depressive symptoms (35,8%) and generalized anxiety (20%).
From the data found, the presence of depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety is evident, particularly associated with the female gender (about twice as high as men) and in younger individuals (about twice as high in young people).
“Depressive symptoms and generalized anxiety were more likely to appear in younger people, mainly women, who were dissatisfied with their health and economic performance, and also in people who reported being unspiritual,” says UAlg.
There will be a second phase of this project six months after the first contact with the study subjects, taking place in a new moment of evaluation of the same concepts for comparative purposes.
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