To evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in order to act on public health strategies

Major outbreaks of other infectious diseases in the past have been shown to have a significant impact on individuals and communities. The psychological effects derived, both from the existence of the disease itself and from the traumatic experience when a loved one suffers from it, are manifested at the individual level and in health systems, although the social ecosystem is also seriously affected and the family economy.

In the epidemic situation we live in, several months after the first case of COVID-19 was reported and after many weeks of quarantine and self-isolation, the emotional burden on the community has increased. Thanks to the studies carried out in countries hit by the SARS-CoV-2 virus before us and to the massive quarantines imposed on other occasions, we know that these situations significantly affect people's mental health. Although this impact is, in general, negative, it is also true that a certain level of anxiety and alertness is necessary for people to freely and rigorously adopt the recommended precautionary measures in the context of an infectious outbreak. Therefore, it is essential to understand attitudes and measure the psychological impact of these situations on people in order to successfully implement public health interventions.

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Mental Health Research and COVID-19
On the other hand, many of the confirmed cases are health workers. In addition to the obvious risk of infection, front-line health personnel (emergency services, ICU, care teams for COVID-19 patients, etc.) are subjected to high levels of stress and anxiety. As stress on the healthcare system increases, these levels worsen, as professionals are forced to grapple with major ethical issues. In this regard, the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic not only demonstrated that front-line healthcare workers suffered from chronic stress, it lasted for at least one year after the end of the outbreak.

Taking all this into account, a research group from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), in Can Ruti, led by Dr. Cristina Vilaplana, prepared a survey to find out what impact the COVID-19 epidemic is having on people, including health professionals, not only from the point of view of health, but also of emotional well-being and family finances. The group, which usually works on tuberculosis, opened a line of research four years ago focused on measuring the quality of life of people in the context of infectious diseases, in order to study sick people from a more holistic, humane and comprehensive point of view.

Study on the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and post-traumatic stress syndrome

The project, called COM-COVID and registered in the public database, is an initiative of the SMA-TB consortium (IGTP and Anaxomics) to fight against COVID-19 that also has the collaboration of Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu (PSSJD ) and the Fight Against AIDS and Infectious Diseases Foundation.

The survey contained questions related to symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress syndrome that have already served in other outbreaks and disaster situations, as well as questions tailored to our environment. The questionnaire was prepared in 4 languages ​​(Catalan, Spanish, English and Italian) and was designed so that it could be shared on social networks, in order to make it viral and to get as many responses as possible through a strategy of snowball, so that everyone could collaborate in this study of citizen participation. The strategy worked very well, with a total of 56,442 people responding to the survey.

The results obtained have allowed us, on the one hand, to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the general well-being of the population and health workers and, on the other, to identify who could benefit the most from some kind of help. As of today, we are preparing a scientific article and a report that will be shared publicly with society, as well as with institutional leaders and local governments. In the second phase of the project, the IGTP and the PSSJD will work together in the development of strategies that adapt to the real needs of people and prepare them to face more effectively, not only the current epidemic, but potential epidemics and other similar situations in the future.

Photo: Daniele Marzocchi