TITLE:
Psychological Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Brazilian Population: Occupational Analysis
AUTHORS:
Lucas Emmanuel Pedro de Paiva Teixeira, Renato Leonardo de Freitas, Alberto Abad, Juliana Almeida da Silva, Mayra Antonelli-Ponti, Cláudia Helena Cerqueira Mármora, Luis Antonio Monteiro Campos, Scheila Paiva, Sandra Bastos, José Aparecido Da Silva
KEYWORDS:
Mental Health, Fear, Peri-Traumatic Stress, COVID-19, Student, Unemployed
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Neuroscience,
Vol.11 No.2,
May
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: Context and objectives :The unexpected pandemic caused by the severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affected several activities and
exposed workers, students and the large mass of unemployed people to an
economic and psychological pressure that could lead to various problems, such
as anxiety, fear, depression and insomnia, consequently causing impairment of
quality of life. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the
COVID-19 Peri-Traumatic Distress Index (CPDI) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale
(FCV-19S) to measure peri-traumatic stress and fear, such as psychological
reactions during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. An online
spreadsheet was used as a data collection tool to send the questionnaire and
scales to a sample of 1,844 participants. Data were analyzed in groups of
health professionals, students and teachers, and an analysis was performed
between unemployed and employed people in order to evaluate the impact of
employment on the population’s mental health. Results: All groups
presented from moderate to high CPDI and FCV-19S scores, and students and
unemployed people had higher levels of stress and fear. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the Brazilian population, with
students and the unemployed showing the highest rates of stress and fear.