Longitudinal evaluation of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Spain

ABSTRACT Background : Strict confinement and social distancing measures have been imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries The aim was to assess the temporal evolution of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown from two surveys, separated by one month, performed in Spain Methods : Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and the psychological impact of the situation were longitudinally analyzed using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) respectively Results : There was a total of 4,724 responses from both surveys Symptomatic scores of anxiety, depression and stress were exhibited by 37 22%, 46 42% and 49 66% of the second survey respondents, showing a significant increase compared to the first survey (32 45%, 44 11% and 37 01%, respectively) There was no significant longitudinal change of the IES scores, with 48 30% of the second survey participants showing moderate to severe impact of the confinement Constant news consumption about COVID-19 was found to be positively associated with symptomatic scores in the different scales, and daily physical activity to be negatively associated with DASS-21 scores Conclusions : Results indicated a temporal increase of anxiety, depression and stress scores during the COVID-19 lockdown Factors such as age, consumption of information about COVID-19 and physical activity seem to have an important impact on the evolution of psychological symptoms