Scientific journal paper Q1
COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal: Psychosocial and health-related factors associated with psychological discomfort
José Luisa Pais-Ribeiro (Pais-Ribeiro, J.L.); Alexandra Ferreira Valente (Ferreira-Valente, A.); Margarida Jarego (Jarego, M.); Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez (Sánchez-Rodríguez, E. ); Jordi Miró (Miró, Jordi);
Journal Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year (definitive publication)
2022
Language
English
Country
Switzerland
More Information
Web of Science®

Times Cited: 10

(Last checked: 2025-12-20 01:56)

View record in Web of Science®

Scopus

Times Cited: 12

(Last checked: 2025-12-20 14:45)

View record in Scopus


: 1.0
Google Scholar

Times Cited: 17

(Last checked: 2025-12-15 10:38)

View record in Google Scholar

This publication is not indexed in Overton

Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stressful long-lasting event with an increasingly negative impact upon individuals. This study aimed at assessing the magnitude of depression, anxiety, and stress among adults living in Portugal during the first mandatory lockdown of 2020, and the psychosocial and health-related factors associated with these symptoms. A sample of 484 adults (73% women) with an average age of 40 years old (Standard Deviation, SD = 14.03) responded to an online survey. The survey included measures of depression, anxiety, stress, social support, COVID-19 interference in daily life, attitudes towards COVID-19, and health perception. The impact of the lockdown on psychological well-being was large, with up to 36% of the participants showing signs of at least mild psychological discomfort (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress). Social support, COVID-19 interference on daily life, health perception, and age, explained all the dependent variables. Education level, income, attitudes towards COVID-19, and gender explained some of the dependent variables. These results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has a serious impact on the psychological health of Portuguese adults. The role of the procedures to control the pandemic on the mental health of Portuguese adults should not be underestimated.
Acknowledgements
--
Keywords
COVID-19,Psychological discomfort,COVID-19 interference,Sociodemographic predictors,Psychosocial predictors
  • Earth and related Environmental Sciences - Natural Sciences
  • Biological Sciences - Natural Sciences
  • Health Sciences - Medical and Health Sciences
Funding Records
Funding Reference Funding Entity
RED2018-102546-T Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness
RTI2018-09870-B-I00 Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness
2020.10251.BD Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
SFRH/BPD/121452/2016 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
UID/04810/2020 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
AGAUR; 2017SGR-1321 Government of Catalonia
MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033: PID2020-113869RA-I00 Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation