Increased generalized anxiety, depression and distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study in Germany.
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Since the first cases of the novel coronavirus disease SARS-CoV-2 were reported in December 2019 in China, the virus has spread in most countries. The aim of the present study was to assess initial data on the mental health burden of the German public during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Germany and collected complete datasets from 15 704 German residents aged 18 years and over. Besides demographics, generalized anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-2) and psychological distress (DT) were assessed. Furthermore, COVID-19-related fear, trust in governmental actions to face COVID-19 and the subjective level of information regarding COVID-19 were covered. RESULTS: Significantly increased symptoms were highly prevalent in all dimensions: generalized anxiety (44.9%), depression (14.3%), psychological distress (65.2%) and COVID-19-related fear (59%). Females and younger people reported higher mental burden. Trust in governmental actions to face COVID-19 and the subjective level of information regarding COVID-19 are negatively associated with mental health burden. However, the subjective level of information regarding COVID-19 is positively associated with increased COVID-19-related fear. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of appropriate psychological interventions for those in need and the provision of transparency and comprehensible information are crucial during the current pandemic.
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The previously described reduced wellbeing and quality of life in the general population during the pandemic did presumably apply also to the participants in this study.
“The previously described reduced wellbeing and quality of life in the general population during the pandemic did presumably apply also to the participants in this study.”
From Acceptance and commitment therapy in a psychiatric day hospital—A longitudinal naturalistic effectiveness trial (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
The paper’s ‘Main finding of this study’ reports high levels of anxiety, depression and psychological distress in a German sample during the pandemic, supporting the claim of reduced mental wellbeing. Its ‘Measures’ section does not include quality of life, and the paper cannot establish whether the citing study’s participants experienced the same effects. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe average mental wellbeing and subjective quality of life decreased significantly in Germany during the COVID pandemic.
“This is remarkable, considering that in the same time, due to the COVID pandemic and associated restrictions, the average mental wellbeing as well as subjective quality of life decreased significantly in Germany (26–28).”
From Acceptance and commitment therapy in a psychiatric day hospital—A longitudinal naturalistic effectiveness trial (2023) · cites this paper as [26]
The Main finding section reports higher prevalence of depression symptoms and psychological distress than in comparison German samples, supporting a decline in mental health during the pandemic. The Measures section assesses anxiety, depression and distress, but not subjective quality of life; the paper also does not establish a significant decrease in average wellbeing or attribute it specifically to restrictions. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)
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BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialCOVID-19-Related Fear and Health-Related Safety Behavior in Oncological Patients
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- Authors
- Bäuerle, A., Teufel, M., Musche, V., Weismüller, B., Kohler, H., Hetkamp, M., Dörrie, N., Schweda, A., & Skoda, E.-M.
- Affiliations
- Essen University Hospital (DE)
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Teufel, Martin
- Venue
- Journal of Public Health
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2020-07-13
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 672-678
- ISSN
- 0943-1853 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-3842
- 1741-3850
- PMC
- PMC7454766
- OpenAlex
- W3041048391
- Cited by
- 597
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 58 · 2023: 105 · 2022: 171 · 2021: 190 · 2020: 24
- FWCI
- 48.95
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
- Locations
- Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Essen University Medicine Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, mental health burden, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, psychological distress, public trust in government, COVID-19 information, sex differences, age differences, German population
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adult, Aged, Anxiety, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Fear, Female, Germany, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Stress, Psychological, Prevalence, Access to Information, Trust, Pandemics
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