Mental Health Impact of COVID-19: A Global Study of Risk and Resilience Factors

Plomecka, Martyna, Susanna Gobbi, Rachael Neckels, Piotr Radziński, Beata Skórko, Samuel Lazzeri, Kristina Almazidou, et al. 2020. “Mental Health Impact of COVID-19: A Global Study of Risk and Resilience Factors.” PsyArXiv. May 5. doi:10.31234/osf.io/zj6b4

Abstract: This study anonymously screened 13,332 individuals worldwide for psychological symptoms related to Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from March 29th to April 14th, 2020. A total of n=12,817 responses were considered valid with responses from 12 featured countries and five WHO regions. Female gender, pre-existing psychiatric condition, and prior exposure to trauma were identified as notable risk factors, whereas optimism, ability to share concerns with family and friends like usual, positive prediction about COVID-19, and daily exercise predicted fewer psychological symptoms. These results could aid in dynamic optimization of mental health services during and following COVID-19 pandemic