TY - JOUR
T1 - Stress-related emotional and behavioural impact following the first COVID-19 outbreak peak
AU - Benjamin, Asaf
AU - Kuperman, Yael
AU - Eren, Noa
AU - Rotkopf, Ron
AU - Amitai, Maya
AU - Rossman, Hagai
AU - Shilo, Smadar
AU - Meir, Tomer
AU - Keshet, Ayya
AU - Nuttman-Shwartz, Orit
AU - Segal, Eran
AU - Chen, Alon
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank Dr Jessica Keverne for her writing and editing support and advice. AC is the incumbent of the Vera and John Schwartz Professorial Chair in Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science; the Head of the Max Planck Society–Weizmann Institute of Science Laboratory for Experimental Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurogenetics gratefully funded by the Max Planck Foundation; and the Head of Ruhman Family Laboratory for Research in the Neurobiology of Stress at the Weizmann Institute of Science. This work is supported by The Weizmann Institute Coronavirus Response Fund (AC and ES); research support from Bruno and Simone Licht (AC) and Roberto and Renata Ruhman (AC). YK is the incumbent of the Sarah and Rolando Uziel Research Associate Chair.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/11/1
Y1 - 2021/11/1
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic poses multiple psychologically stressful challenges and is associated with an increased risk for mental illness. Previous studies have focused on the psychopathological symptoms associated with the outbreak peak. Here, we examined the behavioural and mental-health impact of the pandemic in Israel using an online survey, during the six weeks encompassing the end of the first outbreak and the beginning of the second. We used clinically validated instruments to assess anxiety- and depression-related emotional distress, symptoms, and coping strategies, as well as questions designed to specifically assess COVID-19-related concerns. Higher emotional burden was associated with being female, younger, unemployed, living in high socioeconomic status localities, having prior medical conditions, encountering more people, and experiencing physiological symptoms. Our findings highlight the environmental context and its importance in understanding individual ability to cope with the long-term stressful challenges of the pandemic.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic poses multiple psychologically stressful challenges and is associated with an increased risk for mental illness. Previous studies have focused on the psychopathological symptoms associated with the outbreak peak. Here, we examined the behavioural and mental-health impact of the pandemic in Israel using an online survey, during the six weeks encompassing the end of the first outbreak and the beginning of the second. We used clinically validated instruments to assess anxiety- and depression-related emotional distress, symptoms, and coping strategies, as well as questions designed to specifically assess COVID-19-related concerns. Higher emotional burden was associated with being female, younger, unemployed, living in high socioeconomic status localities, having prior medical conditions, encountering more people, and experiencing physiological symptoms. Our findings highlight the environmental context and its importance in understanding individual ability to cope with the long-term stressful challenges of the pandemic.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111774898&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41380-021-01219-6
DO - 10.1038/s41380-021-01219-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 34349224
AN - SCOPUS:85111774898
VL - 26
SP - 6149
EP - 6158
JO - Molecular Psychiatry
JF - Molecular Psychiatry
SN - 1359-4184
IS - 11
ER -
