Journal Article

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

Arias-Ulloa, Cristian Arturo, Ortega-Moreno, Mónica, Allande-Cussó, Regina, Ruiz-Frutos, Carlos, Gómez-Salgado, Juan, Adanaque-Bravo, Ingrid

2021

Overview

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. 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. 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.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Adaptation / Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Biology and Life Sciences / Care and treatment / Children / Committees / Contagion / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / COVID-19 - psychology / Cross-Sectional Studies / Cultural differences / Diagnostic tests / Disease transmission / Ecuador - epidemiology / Educational attainment / Epidemics / Female / Health services / Health status / Higher education / Humans / Male / Measures / Medical personnel / Medicine and Health Sciences / Mental health / Mental Health - statistics & numerical data / Middle Aged / Observational studies / Pandemics / People and places / Physical symptoms / Population / Prevention / Prevention programs / Psychological Distress / Psychological stress / Public health / Questionnaires / Research and Analysis Methods / Risk factors / Sampling / Sampling methods / SARS-CoV-2 - isolation & purification / Self evaluation / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Sociodemographics / Socioeconomic factors / Sociology / State of emergency / Stress (Psychology) / Stress, Psychological - epidemiology / Surveys and Questionnaires / Symptoms / Variables / Women / Young Adult / Young adults / Youth