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Psychological correlates of COVID-19 pandemic in the Austrian population

Open access
Traunmüller, Claudia, Stefitz, Rene, Gaisbachgrabner, Kerstin, Schwerdtfeger, Andreas·2020·BMC Public Health
DOI 10.1186/s12889-020-09489-5PMC PMC7487438

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Abstract

Background: COVID-19 poses the greatest challenge for the entire world since the Second World War. Governments are forced to define strict measures to avoid the spreading of the virus, which may further impose psychological burden for the majority of the population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychological distress in Austria during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: From 25 March to 3 April 2020, an anonymous online survey was conducted. Target group included all members of the Austrian population older than 16 years. The survey addressed the following areas (1) and sociodemographic data, (2) physical and mental health; (3) knowledge and concerns about COVID-19; (4) contact with infected people; (5) prevention efforts; (6) need for further information. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to assess mental health. Analyses were based on 4126 individuals (74% female, age: M = 38.68, SD = 13.36). Results: 43.3% rated the psychological impact as moderate (5.6%) or severe (37.7%). 26.5% reported moderate (13.3%) to severe (13.2%) depression; 20.3% moderate (8.9%) to severe (11.4%) anxiety and 21.2% reported to suffer from moderate (10.5%) or severe stress (10.7%). Being female, higher age, lower levels of education, concern about family members, internet as main source of information, student or pupil status, poor self-rated health, and downplaying the seriousness of the problem were significantly associated with higher psychological burden. Protective factors were the possibility to work in home office, frequent (indirect) contact with family or friends, the availability of virus-specific information, confidence in the diagnosis capability, and physical activity during the crisis. Conclusion: This study is among the first in Europe on the psychological correlates of the COVID-19 pandemic. 37.7% of the Austrian study population reported a severe psychological impact on the event and 1 in 10 is considered to suffer from severe depression, anxiety or stress. The present findings inform about the identification of protective factors, psychologically vulnerable groups and may guide the development of psychological interventions.

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Fig. 1 National epidemic trend of COVID-19 outbreak in Austria from 27 February to 4 April 2020
Fig. 1 National epidemic trend of COVID-19 outbreak in Austria from 27 February to 4 April 2020CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Need for essential further information and advice. Results of the item: “What information or advice are you missing in particular?”
Fig. 2 Need for essential further information and advice. Results of the item: “What information or advice are you missing in particular?”CC BY · PubMed Central

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Fuchs R, Klaperski S. Sportliche Aktivität und Stressregulation. In: Fuchs R, Schlicht W, editors. Seelische Gesundheit und sportliche Aktivität [internet]. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 2012. p. 100–21.

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Metadata

Authors
Traunmüller, C., Stefitz, R., Gaisbachgrabner, K., & Schwerdtfeger, A.
Affiliations
University of Graz (AT)
Corresponding author
Traunmüller, Claudia
ORCID
Venue
BMC Public Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-09-14
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
1395-1395
ISSN
1471-2458 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12889-020-09489-5
PMC
PMC7487438
OpenAlex
W3085291668
Cited by
120
References
36
Citations by year
2025: 5 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 40 · 2020: 6
FWCI
10.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Unipub UB Graz (Universität Graz) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, stress, mental health, Austrian population, protective factors, vulnerable populations, working from home, psychological intervention
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Adult, Anxiety, Austria, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Stress, Psychological, Coronavirus Infections, Pandemics

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