Mental health of Scandinavians during the first lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychosocial resources and coping strategies as protective or risk factors for anxiety and depression
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Mental health of Scandinavians during the first lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychosocial resources and coping strategies as protective or risk factors for anxiety and depression. / Pedersen, Heidi Frølund; Stripp, Tobias K.; Hvidt, Niels C.; Isene, Tor Arne; la Cour, Peter; Stålsett, Gry; Danbolt, Lars J.
In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 64, No. 5, 01.10.2023, p. 543-551.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health of Scandinavians during the first lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic: Psychosocial resources and coping strategies as protective or risk factors for anxiety and depression
AU - Pedersen, Heidi Frølund
AU - Stripp, Tobias K.
AU - Hvidt, Niels C.
AU - Isene, Tor Arne
AU - la Cour, Peter
AU - Stålsett, Gry
AU - Danbolt, Lars J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2023/10/1
Y1 - 2023/10/1
N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a global health and economic crisis. In the early phase of the pandemic, studies found that populations were reporting lower levels of mental well-being and high levels of distress and worry. This study investigated potential protective and risk factors such as sociodemographics and psychological factors such as adaptation/coping. Methods: Two convenience samples from Norway and Denmark were recruited during the early phase of the first lockdown in May 2020 using snowball sampling primarily by social media. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) for screening anxiety and depression, COVID-19 distress, and coping strategies applied during the lockdown. Descriptive analyses were applied as well as bivariate correlations for associations between coping and mental health measures. Results: Levels of anxiety and depression were not alarmingly high, but being young, single, and female constituted a higher risk for poorer mental health. Applying positive reframing strategies was negatively associated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress, whereas distraction coping strategies were positively correlated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress. Conclusion: Applying positive reframing as a coping strategy may constitute a protective factor for mental health in the early phase of a crisis such as a pandemic. This knowledge may inform public health agencies on how to promote mental health in similar situations in the future. However, longitudinal and qualitative studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of the different coping strategies applied.
AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was a global health and economic crisis. In the early phase of the pandemic, studies found that populations were reporting lower levels of mental well-being and high levels of distress and worry. This study investigated potential protective and risk factors such as sociodemographics and psychological factors such as adaptation/coping. Methods: Two convenience samples from Norway and Denmark were recruited during the early phase of the first lockdown in May 2020 using snowball sampling primarily by social media. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) for screening anxiety and depression, COVID-19 distress, and coping strategies applied during the lockdown. Descriptive analyses were applied as well as bivariate correlations for associations between coping and mental health measures. Results: Levels of anxiety and depression were not alarmingly high, but being young, single, and female constituted a higher risk for poorer mental health. Applying positive reframing strategies was negatively associated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress, whereas distraction coping strategies were positively correlated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress. Conclusion: Applying positive reframing as a coping strategy may constitute a protective factor for mental health in the early phase of a crisis such as a pandemic. This knowledge may inform public health agencies on how to promote mental health in similar situations in the future. However, longitudinal and qualitative studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of the different coping strategies applied.
KW - coping strategies
KW - COVID-19
KW - first lockdown
KW - health
KW - protective resources
KW - Anxiety/epidemiology
KW - Pandemics
KW - Communicable Disease Control/statistics & numerical data
KW - Humans
KW - Risk Factors
KW - Mental Health/statistics & numerical data
KW - Quarantine/psychology
KW - Scandinavians and Nordic People/psychology
KW - Protective Factors
KW - Depression/epidemiology
KW - Female
KW - Adaptation
KW - Psychological
U2 - 10.1111/sjop.12911
DO - 10.1111/sjop.12911
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36871196
VL - 64
SP - 543
EP - 551
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
SN - 0036-5564
IS - 5
ER -
ID: 394341678