IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i24p9248-d459995.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

International Prevalence and Correlates of Psychological Stress during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Maheen M. Adamson

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
    Co-first Authors.)

  • Angela Phillips

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
    Co-first Authors.)

  • Srija Seenivasan

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA)

  • Julian Martinez

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA)

  • Harlene Grewal

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA)

  • Xiaojian Kang

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA)

  • John Coetzee

    (Rehabilitation Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
    Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Ines Luttenbacher

    (Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1001 NH Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

  • Ashley Jester

    (Science and Engineering Libraries, Stanford Libraries, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • Odette A. Harris

    (Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

  • David Spiegel

    (Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA)

Abstract

This study reports perceived stress and associated sociodemographic factors from an international sample of adults, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) along with socio-demographic questions were conducted between 8 April 2020 and 11 May 2020. The survey was translated from English into five languages. Recruitment was conducted worldwide using social media. A total of 1685 survey responses were collected across 57 countries with eleven countries (≥30 responses/country) included in the sub-analyses. Overall, the mean PSS-10 score was 19.08 (SD = 7.17), reflecting moderate stress compared to previously reported norms. Female gender was associated with a higher PSS score (3.03, p < 0.05) as well as four-year degree holders (3.29, p < 0.05), while adults over 75 years (−7.46, p < 0.05) had lower PSS scores. Personal care composite score (including hours of sleep, exercise, and meditation) was associated with lower PSS scores (−0.39, p < 0.01). Increases in personal care and changes in work expectations were associated with lower PSS scores (−1.30 ( p < 0.05) and −0.38 ( p < 0.01), respectively). Lower total PSS scores were reported in Germany (−4.82, p < 0.01) compared to the global response sample mean. This information, collected during the initial period of global mitigation orders, provides insight into potential mental health risks and protective factors during crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Maheen M. Adamson & Angela Phillips & Srija Seenivasan & Julian Martinez & Harlene Grewal & Xiaojian Kang & John Coetzee & Ines Luttenbacher & Ashley Jester & Odette A. Harris & David Spiegel, 2020. "International Prevalence and Correlates of Psychological Stress during the Global COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:24:p:9248-:d:459995
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/24/9248/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/24/9248/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cuiyan Wang & Riyu Pan & Xiaoyang Wan & Yilin Tan & Linkang Xu & Cyrus S. Ho & Roger C. Ho, 2020. "Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors during the Initial Stage of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Epidemic among the General Population in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-25, March.
    2. Erik Brynjolfsson & John J. Horton & Adam Ozimek & Daniel Rock & Garima Sharma & Hong-Yi TuYe, 2020. "COVID-19 and Remote Work: An Early Look at US Data," NBER Working Papers 27344, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Cristina Mazza & Eleonora Ricci & Silvia Biondi & Marco Colasanti & Stefano Ferracuti & Christian Napoli & Paolo Roma, 2020. "A Nationwide Survey of Psychological Distress among Italian People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Immediate Psychological Responses and Associated Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-14, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yuen Yu Chong & Wai Tong Chien & Ho Yu Cheng & Demetris Lamnisos & Jeļena Ļubenko & Giovambattista Presti & Valeria Squatrito & Marios Constantinou & Christiana Nicolaou & Savvas Papacostas & Gökçen A, 2021. "Patterns of Psychological Responses among the Public during the Early Phase of COVID-19: A Cross-Regional Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Wei Liang & Yanping Duan & Borui Shang & Chun Hu & Julien Steven Baker & Zhihua Lin & Jiali He & Yanping Wang, 2021. "Precautionary Behavior and Depression in Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Online Cross-Sectional Study in Hubei, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Terence Moriarty & Kelsey Bourbeau & Fabio Fontana & Scott McNamara & Michael Pereira da Silva, 2021. "The Relationship between Psychological Stress and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors during COVID-19 among Students in a US Midwest University," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    4. Kunal Desai & Pratibha Gupta & Priti Parikh & Alpa Desai, 2021. "Impact of Virtual Heartfulness Meditation Program on Stress, Quality of Sleep, and Psychological Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-10, October.
    5. Jorge Quintas & Ana Guerreiro & Maria João Leote de Carvalho & Vera Duarte & Ana Rita Pedro & Ana Filipa Gama & Inês Keygnaert & Sónia Dias, 2022. "The Implication of the First Wave of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Results from a Portuguese Sample," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-12, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mateusz Ciski & Krzysztof Rząsa, 2023. "Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression in the Investigation of Local COVID-19 Anomalies Based on Population Age Structure in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(10), pages 1-23, May.
    2. José Pais-Ribeiro & Alexandra Ferreira-Valente & Margarida Jarego & Elisabet Sánchez-Rodríguez & Jordi Miró, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal: Psychosocial and Health-Related Factors Associated with Psychological Discomfort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Mohammad Farhan Al. Qudah & Ismael Salamah Albursan & Heba Ibraheem Hammad & Ahmad Mohammad Alzoubi & Salaheldin Farah Bakhiet & Abdullah M. Almanie & Soltan S. Alenizi & Suliman S. Aljomaa & Mohammed, 2021. "Anxiety about COVID-19 Infection, and Its Relation to Smartphone Addiction and Demographic Variables in Middle Eastern Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, October.
    4. Eriona Thartori & Concetta Pastorelli & Flavia Cirimele & Chiara Remondi & Maria Gerbino & Emanuele Basili & Ainzara Favini & Carolina Lunetti & Irene Fiasconaro & Gian Vittorio Caprara, 2021. "Exploring the Protective Function of Positivity and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy in Time of Pandemic COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-19, December.
    5. Agnes Y. K. Lai & George O. C. Cheung & Asa C. M. Choi & Man-Ping Wang & Polly S. L. Chan & Angie H. Y. Lam & Esther W. S. Lo & Chia-Chin Lin & Tai-Hing Lam, 2022. "Mental Health, Support System, and Perceived Usefulness of Support in University Students in Hong Kong Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Whitney M. Herge & Emily B. Gale & Emily J. Stapleton & Ashley Ofori & Kiley F. Poppino & Shelby P. Cerza & Daniel J. Sucato, 2024. "Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Coping in the Time of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Assessment," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440231, January.
    7. María del Carmen Olmos-Gómez, 2020. "Sex and Careers of University Students in Educational Practices as Factors of Individual Differences in Learning Environment and Psychological Factors during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-19, July.
    8. Nurul Ilani Abdul Latif & Nor Azlin Mohamed Ismail & Sweet Yi Esther Loh & Abdul Ghani Nur Azurah & Marhani Midin & Shamsul Azhar Shah & Aida Kalok, 2022. "Psychological Distress and COVID-19 Related Anxiety among Malaysian Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-13, April.
    9. Isidora Vujčić & Teodora Safiye & Bojana Milikić & Emina Popović & Draško Dubljanin & Eleonora Dubljanin & Jakša Dubljanin & Milanko Čabarkapa, 2021. "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic and Mental Health Status in the General Adult Population of Serbia: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    10. Mumtaz Ali Memon & Saba Shaikh & Muhammad Zeeshan Mirza & Asfia Obaid & Nuttawuth Muenjohn & Hiram Ting, 2022. "Work-From-Home in the New Normal: A Phenomenological Inquiry into Employees’ Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    11. Alessio Matiz & Franco Fabbro & Andrea Paschetto & Damiano Cantone & Anselmo Roberto Paolone & Cristiano Crescentini, 2020. "Positive Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health of Female Teachers during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-22, September.
    12. Thomas Probst & Peter Stippl & Christoph Pieh, 2020. "Changes in Provision of Psychotherapy in the Early Weeks of the COVID-19 Lockdown in Austria," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-10, May.
    13. Md Altab Hossin & Lie Chen & Md Sajjad Hosain & Isaac Owusu Asante, 2022. "Does COVID-19 Fear Induce Employee Innovation Performance Deficiency? Examining the Mediating Role of Psychological Stress and Moderating Role of Organizational Career Support," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-22, August.
    14. Paula Rodríguez-Fernández & Josefa González-Santos & Mirian Santamaría-Peláez & Raúl Soto-Cámara & Esteban Sánchez-González & Jerónimo J. González-Bernal, 2021. "Psychological Effects of Home Confinement and Social Distancing Derived from COVID-19 in the General Population—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    15. Alejandro Salazar & Jenifer Palomo-Osuna & Helena de Sola & Jose A. Moral-Munoz & María Dueñas & Inmaculada Failde, 2021. "Psychological Impact of the Lockdown Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in University Workers: Factors Related to Stress, Anxiety, and Depression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-16, April.
    16. Daniel Deimel & Christine Firk & Heino Stöver & Nicolas Hees & Norbert Scherbaum & Simon Fleißner, 2022. "Substance Use and Mental Health during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Germany: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-15, October.
    17. Yolanda Marcén-Román & Angel Gasch-Gallen & Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota & Estela Calatayud & Isabel Gómez-Soria & Beatriz Rodríguez-Roca, 2021. "Stress Perceived by University Health Sciences Students, 1 Year after COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-10, May.
    18. Anelise Sonza & Danúbia da Cunha de Sá-Caputo & Alessandro Sartorio & Sofia Tamini & Adérito Seixas & Borja Sanudo & Jessica Süßenbach & Marcello Montillo Provenza & Vinicius Layter Xavier & Redha Tai, 2021. "COVID-19 Lockdown and the Behavior Change on Physical Exercise, Pain and Psychological Well-Being: An International Multicentric Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-20, April.
    19. Tamara D. Klikovac & Nikola Petrović & Đerđi Šarić, 2023. "Assessment of Cancer Patients’ Mental Health during the Coronavirus Pandemic in Serbia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-16, January.
    20. Carlos Ruiz-Frutos & Mónica Ortega-Moreno & Adriano Dias & João Marcos Bernardes & Juan Jesús García-Iglesias & Juan Gómez-Salgado, 2020. "Information on COVID-19 and Psychological Distress in a Sample of Non-Health Workers during the Pandemic Period," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-18, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:24:p:9248-:d:459995. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.