Psychosocial effects of the quarantine during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the residents of the island of Brač
| Autor: | Vesna Antičević, Nataša Mrduljaš-Đujić, Dolores Britvić |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
COVID-19 pandemic
family medicine islands mental health psychological reactions quarantine business.industry Depression SARS-CoV-2 Stressor COVID-19 Anxiety Mental health Negative affectivity Social support Cross-Sectional Studies Environmental health Pandemic Quarantine Medicine Humans medicine.symptom Family Practice business Psychosocial Socioeconomic status Pandemics |
| Zdroj: | Family practice. 39(3) |
| ISSN: | 1460-2229 |
| Popis: | An unprecedented health and economic crisis in small island communities during the COVID-19 pandemic indicated the importance of studying its harmful effects on residents' mental health.To examine the differences in negative affectivity, perceived stressors, and social support both on the quarantined and not quarantined islands.A web-based survey and correlational cross-sectional research design were used, based on a nonprobabilistic convenience sampling method to select 613 Croatian islands' residents during May 2020. The participants completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the General Information Questionnaire, data on their exposures to stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic and the perceived social support.Compared with the nonquarantined residents of other islands, the island of Brač residents scored significantly higher on the symptoms of depression (M = 11.61; t = 2.13, P0.05) and stress (M = 13.06; t = 3.21, P = 0.001) subscales, receiving more support from religious communities (t = 2.34, P = 0.02) and less from the physicians (t = -2.68, P = 0.01). Lower sociodemographic status was associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need to protect mental health in isolated island areas specially for singles and people of low socioeconomic status.This study contributed to the recognition and understanding of the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of the isolated island population. The aim was to examine the differences in perceived stressors, perceived social support, and negative affectivity (symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress) between residents of Brač directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and residents of other islands not directly exposed to the pandemic.A total of 613 inhabitants of the Croatian islands were included in the analysis during pandemic in May 2020. All participants answered web-based survey about perceived stressors, social support, and psychological symptoms.Staying on the quarantined island during the pandemic significantly contributed to the levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms. It also highlighted the positive impact of connections with family members and the religious community as well as the negative impact of lower socioeconomic status on adaptation in times of pandemic.Despite the short duration, the psychological effects of a pandemic were more visible in residents of an island affected by a pandemic compared with residents of other islands not exposed to COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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