One year after the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany: long-term changes in depression, anxiety, loneliness, distress and life satisfaction
Abstrak
Several studies have linked the COVID-19 pandemic to unfavorable mental health outcomes. However, we know little about long-term changes in mental health due to the pandemic so far. Here, we used longitudinal data from a general population sample of 1388 adults from Germany, who were initially assessed between April and May 2020 (i.e., at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany) and prospectively followed up after 6 ( n = 1082) and 12 months ( n = 945). Depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as loneliness did not change from baseline to 6-month follow-up. While anxiety symptoms did not change in the long run, depressive symptoms and loneliness increased and life satisfaction decreased from baseline to 12-month follow-up. Moreover, vulnerable groups such as younger individuals or those with a history of mental disorders exhibited an overall higher level of psychopathological symptoms across all assessment waves. Our findings suggest a deterioration in mental health during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emphasizes the importance to implement targeted health promotions to prevent a further symptom escalation especially in vulnerable groups.
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (4)
C. Benke
Lara K. Autenrieth
Eva Asselmann
C. Pané-Farré
Akses Cepat
- Tahun Terbit
- 2022
- Bahasa
- en
- Total Sitasi
- 57×
- Sumber Database
- Semantic Scholar
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00406-022-01400-0
- Akses
- Open Access ✓