Psychological distress during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador: Cross-sectional study

Autor: Carlos Ruiz-Frutos, Regina Allande-Cussó, Mónica Ortega-Moreno, Ingrid Adanaque-Bravo, Cristian Arturo Arias-Ulloa, Juan Gómez-Salgado
Přispěvatelé: Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Enfermería
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Male
Questionnaires
Viral Diseases
Latin Americans
Cross-sectional study
Epidemiology
Physiology
Psychological Distress
Geographical locations
Medical Conditions
Surveys and Questionnaires
Pandemic
Medicine and Health Sciences
Coughing
Public and Occupational Health
Child
Virus Testing
education.field_of_study
Multidisciplinary
Hygiene
Infectious Diseases
Research Design
Medicine
Female
Ecuador
Psychology
Research Article
Adult
Adolescent
Science
Population
Psychological distress
Research and Analysis Methods
Young Adult
Hand Washing
Signs and Symptoms
Diagnostic Medicine
Mental Health and Psychiatry
Humans
education
Pandemics
Survey Research
Biology and Life Sciences
COVID-19
Covid 19
South America
Mental health
Snowball sampling
Cross-Sectional Studies
Observational study
General Health Questionnaire
People and places
Clinical Medicine
Physiological Processes
Demography
Zdroj: PLoS ONE
PLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 9, p e0257661 (2021)
Popis: Background The effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on the mental health of citizens from Asia, Europe, or North America begin to be known, but there are fewer publications on its effects in Latin American countries. In this study, its impact in Ecuador is described, with data collected during the first phase of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to analyse the level of psychological distress in the population of Ecuador during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and findings Cross-sectional observational study. The questionnaires were collected through an online self-developed questionnaire, between April 2 and May 17, 2020, using the non-probabilistic sampling methodology: snowball method. The variables considered were sociodemographic variables, physical symptoms, health status, COVID-19 contact history, preventive measures, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The percentage with high psychological distress (PD) (GHQ-12 ≥ 3) has been somewhat lower than that found in Europe, being women, young people, people with higher level of education, living without a partner, not living with children or children under 16 years of age, and with worse perception of health the groups with the highest PD. Differences have been observed with European studies regarding common symptoms, preventive measures to avoid contagion, percentage of infected relatives, or diagnostic tests performed. Conclusions The use of the same research instrument, validated in Europe and adapted to Ecuador, has facilitated the comparison of the found results and differences, which can be explained by socio-economic or cultural variables, the health system, level of information, or by preventive measures put in place to prevent the pandemic.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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