Mental Health in the Era of the Second Wave of SARS-CoV-2: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on an Online Survey among Online Respondents in Poland

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-03, Vol.18 (5), p.2522
• Main Authors: Babicki, Mateusz, Szewczykowska, Ilona, Mastalerz-Migas, Agnieszka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Attitudes; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease transmission; Female; Humans; Insomnia; Male; Meetings; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Pandemics; Pathogens; Poland - epidemiology; Post traumatic stress disorder; Quantitative psychology; Quarantine; Questionnaires; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Sleep disorders; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052522

The main objective of this study was to assess mental health during the COVID-19 second wave. The study was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire that had been provided via the Internet to online respondents in Poland. The questionnaire questions included a socio-geographic assessment, proprietary questions assessing the respondents' current approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a standardised psychometric tool-GHQ-28. The study involved 2155 respondents, 99.8% of whom gave their consent for the participation in the study. A mean GHQ score was 29.25 ± 14.94 points. The criterion for minor mental disorders (≥24 points) was met by 1272 (59.2%) respondents. In overall interpretation as well as in each of GHQ-28 subscales, women obtained significantly higher scores than men ( < 0.001). The restriction on earning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly associated with the feeling of anxiety/insomnia severity among the respondents (9.96 vs. 8.82 points; < 0.001). The COVID-19 pandemic, although it has already been experienced for nearly a year, has had a significant association with the general mental health of the respondents in Poland. There is a strong need to implement special programs that offer psychological support in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those who had direct experience with COVID-19 infection.