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Survey about the impact of the pandemic on the physical and mental health of Romanians
Romanians are sadder, more anxious and feel more lonely at the end of 2020, as direct effected of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reads the first study conducted in Romania about the impact of the pandemic on the physical and mental health of the population.
The authors of the survey warn that the coronavirus pandemic has had significant effects on the mental health of the Romanian population: 42% of the respondents reported a deterioration of the stress, while about a third of them claimed a deterioration of anxiety.
The study revealed that fear and anxiety can be overwhelming both for adults and also for children. The preliminary data of the study showed that some pre-existing medical conditions have increased in the case of several patients, while others experienced feelings of anxiety, depression and helplessness.
68% of the respondents said they had spent more time reading/watching the news in an attempt to manage the situation. Other methods to counter stress were also physical exercises, strolls in the fresh air, hobbies, spending time with their pets.
For women, the most efficient coping mechanisms were finding hobbies, using the Internet, physical exercises or walking, and also social interaction. For men, games and physical intimacy/sexual activity were strategies at hand to manage stress
During pandemic, the risk of suffering of depression or other emotional disorders is amplified by such factors as: poverty, the lack or losing jobs, sad life events, such as the death of someone close or the end of the a relation, but also issues related to alcohol or drug consumption, the study also reveals.
The research is part of the international COH-FIT programme and was conducted in Romania on around 2,000 people, aged from 28 to 50. The data were interpreted by experts from the Socola Psychiatric Institute, the Medicine University from Iasi, the Romanian Psychiatry Association and Transilvania University.