Mental Health during the COVID-19 Lockdown over the Christmas Period in Austria and the Effects of Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors
Open accessAbstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic a decline in mental health has been reported. This online study investigated mental health and well-being in Austria during a strict lockdown. In total, N = 1505 participants were recruited between 23 December 2020 and 4 January 2021 and levels of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (ISI), well-being (WHO-5), quality of life (WHO-QOL) and stress (PSS-10) were measured. 26% scored above the cut-off for moderate depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10; ♀ = 32%; ♂ = 21%), 23% above the cut-off for moderate anxiety (GAF-7 ≥ 10; ♀ = 29%; ♂ = 17%) and 18% above the cut-off for moderate insomnia (ISI ≥ 15; ♀ = 21%; ♂ = 16%). Mean-scores for quality of life (psychological WHO-QOL) were 68.89, for well-being (WHO-5) 14.34, and for stress (PSS-10) 16.42. The youngest age group (18–24) was most burdened and showed significantly more mental health symptoms compared with the oldest age group (65+) in depressive symptoms (50% vs. 12%), anxiety symptoms (35% vs. 10%), and insomnia (25% vs. 11%, all p-values < 0.05). Mental health decreased compared to both the first lockdown earlier in 2020 and pre-pandemic data. Further analyses indicate these findings were especially apparent for the under 24-year-olds, women, single/separated people, low incomes and those who do not partake in any physical activity (all p-values < 0.05). We highlight the need for ongoing mental health support, particularly to the most burdened groups.
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The prevalence of mental illness increased in children, adolescents, and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The prevalence of mental illness increased in children, adolescents, and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time, access to treatment facilities has been restricted, resulting in a need for the quick implementation of remote or online interventions.”
From Effectiveness of Online and Remote Interventions for Mental Health in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [10]
The Abstract and Discussion (page numbers not supplied) report worsening mental health among young adults, particularly those under 24. The Discussion says the sample consisted of adults and calls for research into whether under-18s experienced a similar decline, so this paper does not establish the claimed increase for children or adolescents. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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Background
- Authors
- Dale, R., Budimir, S., Probst, T., Stippl, P., & Pieh, C.
- Affiliations
- Universität für Weiterbildung Krems (AT)
- Austrian Federal Association for Psychotherapy (ÖBVP), 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Corresponding author
- Pieh, Christoph
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-04-01
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 3679
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8036255
- OpenAlex
- W3144258681
- Cited by
- 190
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 153 · 2021: 17 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 31.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Donau-Universität Krems
- 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 › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- COVID-19 lockdown, mental health, depression, anxiety, insomnia, well-being, quality of life, stress, sociodemographic factors, lifestyle factors, young adults, gender differences, single-person households, income, physical activity, Austria
- MeSH terms
- COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Anxiety, Austria, Communicable Disease Control, Depression, Female, Humans, Life Style, Mental Health, Quality of Life, Pandemics
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