Psychological consequences of COVID-19 home confinement: the ECLB-COVID19 multicenter study
journal contribution
posted on 20.01.2021, 14:13 by A Ammar, P Mueller, K Trabelsi, H Chtourou, O Boukhris, L Masmoudi, B Bouaziz, M Brach, M Schmicker, E Bentlage, D How, M Ahmed, A Aloui, O Hammouda, LL Paineiras-Domingos, A Braakmanjansen, C Wrede, S Bastoni, CS Pernambuco, LJ Mataruna-Dos-Santos, M Taheri, K Irandoust, A Khacharem, NL Bragazzi, JA Washif, JM Glenn, NT Bott, F Gargouri, L Chaari, H Batatia, SC khoshnami, E Samara, V Zisi, P Sankar, WN Ahmed, GM Ali, O Abdelkarim, M Jarraya, K El Abed, M Romdhani, N Souissi, L Van Gemert-Pijnen, Stephen Bailey, W Moalla, J Gómez-Raja, M Epstein, R Sanderman, S Schulz, A Jerg, R Al-Horani, T Mansi, M Jmail, F Barbosa, F Ferreira-Santos, B Šimunič, R Pišot, A Gaggioli, P Zmijewski, JM Steinacker, J Strahler, L Riemann, BL Riemann, N Mueller, K Chamari, T Driss, A HoekelmannBackground: Public health recommendations and government measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have enforced restrictions on daily-living. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on mental health and emotional wellbeing is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey (ECLB-COVID19) was launched on April 6, 2020 in seven languages to elucidate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on mental health and emotional wellbeing. Methods: The ECLB-COVID19 electronic survey was designed by a steering group of multidisciplinary scientists, following a structured review of the literature. The survey was uploaded and shared on the Google online-survey-platform and was promoted by thirty-five research organizations from Europe, North-Africa, Western-Asia and the Americas. All participants were asked for their mental wellbeing (SWEMWS) and depressive symptoms (SMFQ) with regard to "during"and "before"home confinement. Results: Analysis was conducted on the first 1047 replies (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other (3%). The COVID-19 home confinement had a negative effect on both mental-wellbeing and on mood and feelings. Specifically, a significant decrease (p < .001 and Δ% = 9.4%) in total score of the SWEMWS questionnaire was noted. More individuals (+12.89%) reported a low mental wellbeing "during"compared to "before"home confinement. Furthermore, results from the mood and feelings questionnaire showed a significant increase by 44.9% (p < .001) in SMFQ total score with more people (+10%) showing depressive symptoms "during"compared to "before"home confinement. Conclusion: The ECLB-COVID19 survey revealed an increased psychosocial strain triggered by the home confinement. To mitigate this high risk of mental disorders and to foster an Active and Healthy Confinement Lifestyle (AHCL), a crisis-oriented interdisciplinary intervention is urgently needed.
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