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AIMS Public Health

2022, Volume 9, Issue 4: 630-643. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2022044
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Mental health and psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures among young adults in Bogotá, Colombia

  • 1.
    Department of Psychiatry and Mental health, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana School of Medicine, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 2.
    Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana School of Medicine, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 3.
    Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 4.
    CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
  • Received: 02 May 2022 Revised: 04 August 2022 Accepted: 25 August 2022 Published: 01 September 2022

  • We sought to explore mental health and psychosocial impact among young people (18 to 24 years old) in Bogotá during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Methods

    We carried a cross sectional study using a web-based survey to assess mental health and personal impact among 18 to 24 years old living in Bogotá during the first 4 months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The depressive symptoms were measured with PHQ-8 and anxiety symptoms with (GAD-7). We also designed a questionnaire exploring changes in personal, family and social life.

     Results

    Overall, 23% of the sample (n = 834) reported mild depressive symptoms (males 24% and females 23%); 29% reported moderate depressive symptoms (males 28%, females 30%); 22% moderate-severe symptoms (males 20%, females 23%) and 17% severe symptoms (males 15%, females 17%). Mild anxiety symptoms were reported by 29% of the sample (males 30%, females 29%); moderate anxiety symptoms by 29% (males 26%, females 30%); moderate-severe 18% (males 15%, females 20%) and severe anxiety by 6.0% (males 6.0% and females 6.0%). High symptoms of depression (PHQ-8 ≥ 10) were associated with being female, considering that the quarantine was stressful, having one member of the family losing their job, worsening of family relationships, decrease of physical activity and having a less nutritious diet. Having high anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 ≥ 10) were associated with sometimes not having enough money to buy food.

     Conclusions

    The first months of the pandemic lockdown were associated with high depressive and anxiety symptoms among young persons living in Bogotá, Colombia. Increasing public health measures to provide support for young people is needed during lockdowns and it is necessary to further explore the long-term mental health impact due to personal, family and social changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Citation: José Miguel Uribe-Restrepo, Alan Waich-Cohen, Laura Ospina-Pinillos, Arturo Marroquín Rivera, Sergio Castro-Díaz, Juan Agustín Patiño-Trejos, Martín Alonso Rondón Sepúlveda, Karen Ariza-Salazar, Luisa Fernanda Cardona-Porras, Carlos Gómez-Restrepo, Francisco Diez-Canseco. Mental health and psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures among young adults in Bogotá, Colombia[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2022, 9(4): 630-643. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2022044

    Related Papers:

  • We sought to explore mental health and psychosocial impact among young people (18 to 24 years old) in Bogotá during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Methods

    We carried a cross sectional study using a web-based survey to assess mental health and personal impact among 18 to 24 years old living in Bogotá during the first 4 months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The depressive symptoms were measured with PHQ-8 and anxiety symptoms with (GAD-7). We also designed a questionnaire exploring changes in personal, family and social life.

     Results

    Overall, 23% of the sample (n = 834) reported mild depressive symptoms (males 24% and females 23%); 29% reported moderate depressive symptoms (males 28%, females 30%); 22% moderate-severe symptoms (males 20%, females 23%) and 17% severe symptoms (males 15%, females 17%). Mild anxiety symptoms were reported by 29% of the sample (males 30%, females 29%); moderate anxiety symptoms by 29% (males 26%, females 30%); moderate-severe 18% (males 15%, females 20%) and severe anxiety by 6.0% (males 6.0% and females 6.0%). High symptoms of depression (PHQ-8 ≥ 10) were associated with being female, considering that the quarantine was stressful, having one member of the family losing their job, worsening of family relationships, decrease of physical activity and having a less nutritious diet. Having high anxiety symptoms (GAD-7 ≥ 10) were associated with sometimes not having enough money to buy food.

     Conclusions

    The first months of the pandemic lockdown were associated with high depressive and anxiety symptoms among young persons living in Bogotá, Colombia. Increasing public health measures to provide support for young people is needed during lockdowns and it is necessary to further explore the long-term mental health impact due to personal, family and social changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.


    加载中

    Acknowledgments


    The authors would like to thank all participants of the survey and the communications office from the Faculty of Medicine that helped with the diffusion of the survey.
    This study is part of a wider research project “Building resilience and resources to reduce mental distress in young people from urban neighborhoods in Latin America (OLA)” (https://theolastudy.com) funded by the UKRI-Medical Research Council, Grant MR/S03580X/1.

    Conflict of interest


    The authors do not declare any conflict of interest related to this research.

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