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Immediate psychological effects of COVID-2019 in people sheltered in place living in New York state

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

I. Piretti*
Affiliation:
Psychologist, Hr Specialist, Independent Researcher, Cesena, Italy
M. Benassi
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
F. Ambrosini
Affiliation:
Psychologist, Independent Researcher, Savignano, Italy
R. Sant’Angelo
Affiliation:
Mental Health Department, AUSL ROMAGNA, Cesena, Italy
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The epidemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2, which began in Wuhan city in December 2019, quickly spread to various countries around the world. The first case in New York State was confirmed on March 1; three weeks later (on March 22, 8 p.m.) the entire population was sheltered in place (SIP). By March 27, the USA had already become the first country in the world for the number of infections. 56% of known domestic cases were confined to New York State.

Objectives

The study aims to evaluate the immediate psychological effects on sheltered in place persons aged between 18 and 70 years old and living in New York State (USA).

Methods

This study is based on a cross-sectional online survey conducted anonymously in the period between the tenth and twenty-third day of SIP. Zung Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale (ZAS scale), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS4) were used to evaluate anxiety, insomnia and stress respectively.

Results

We collected data on 354 individuals (189 females, 34.9 years). MANOVA evidenced that anxiety was significantly related to marital status (higher for divorced/widow participants as compared to married/civil partnership and single), it decreased significantly with age, it was higher for females and for persons having an history of psychiatric disorders and sleeping problems.

Conclusions

Our results could be used as a “psychological baseline” meanwhile the outbreak of COVID-19 is still ongoing. Despite the few days of shelter in place, we found the presence of a significant incidence and pervasive prevalence of psychological distress.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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