IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i7p3731-d529363.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Psychological Responses According to Gender during the Early Stage of COVID-19 in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Lucía del Río-Casanova

    (Department of Psychiatry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

  • Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín

    (Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Dos Hermanas Campus, 41014 Sevilla, Spain)

  • Ana García-Dantas

    (Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Dos Hermanas Campus, 41014 Sevilla, Spain
    Dantas Psicología Clínica (Private Therapy Clinic), 41011 Sevilla, Spain)

  • Anabel González-Vázquez

    (A Coruña University Hospital, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, 15003 A Coruña, Spain)

  • Ania Justo

    (Imaya Medical Institute (Private Therapy Clinic), 36204 Vigo, Spain)

Abstract

Background: Current research has pointed out an increased risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic in women compared to men, however the reason for this difference remains unclear. The aim of this research is to study early psychological responses to the pandemic in the Spanish general population, focusing on gender differences. Methods: Nine to 14 days after the declaration of a state of emergency an online survey was conducted assessing sociodemographic, health, behavioral and COVID-19-related variables. Mental health status was evaluated by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the Self-Care Scale (SCS). Results: The study included 3520 respondents: 2611 women and 909 men. Women scored significantly higher in DASS-21 and IES-R ( p < 0.05) and were more likely to somatize, suffer from hypochondriasis, sleeping disturbances and claustrophobia ( p < 0.05). Being a woman can be considered a risk factor for intrusive thoughts, avoidance mechanisms, stress and anxiety ( Odd Ratio = 2.7/2.3/2.3/1.6). The risk of presenting posttraumatic symptoms and emotional distress was greater in women ( Odd Ratio = 6.77/4.59). General linear models to predict IES-R and DASS-21 scores clarified which variables were gender specific, such as main concerns. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that at early stages of the pandemic, women mental health was more impacted and that both genders show different concerns. Gender perspective in secondary and tertiary prevention strategies must be taken into account when facing the distress associated with the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucía del Río-Casanova & Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín & Ana García-Dantas & Anabel González-Vázquez & Ania Justo, 2021. "Psychological Responses According to Gender during the Early Stage of COVID-19 in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3731-:d:529363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3731/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/7/3731/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hong Yan Li & Hui Cao & Doris Y. P. Leung & Yim Wah Mak, 2020. "The Psychological Impacts of a COVID-19 Outbreak on College Students in China: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-11, June.
    2. 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.
    3. Bharel, M. & Lin, W.-C. & Zhang, J. & O'Connell, E. & Taube, R. & Clark, R.E., 2013. "Health care utilization patterns of homeless individuals in Boston: Preparing for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(S2), pages 311-317.
    4. 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. Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy & Sohaila Cheema & Patrick Maisonneuve & Amit Abraham & Ingmar Weber & Jisun An & Albert B. Lowenfels & Ravinder Mamtani, 2021. "Knowledge and Anxiety about COVID-19 in the State of Qatar, and the Middle East and North Africa Region—A Cross Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-12, June.
    2. David J. Javier-Aliaga & Gluder Quispe & Dámaris Quinteros-Zuñiga & Cristian E. Adriano-Rengifo & Michael White, 2022. "Hope and Resilience Related to Fear of COVID-19 in Young People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-10, April.
    3. Vladimir M. Cvetković & Neda Nikolić & Adem Ocal & Jovana Martinović & Aleksandar Dragašević, 2022. "A Predictive Model of Pandemic Disaster Fear Caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19): Implications for Decision-Makers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-27, January.
    4. Yazmín Hernández-Díaz & Alma Delia Genis-Mendoza & Miguel Ángel Ramos-Méndez & Isela Esther Juárez-Rojop & Carlos Alfonso Tovilla-Zárate & Thelma Beatriz González-Castro & María Lilia López-Narváez & , 2022. "Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mexican Population: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-10, June.
    5. Maria Di Blasi & Gaia Albano & Giulia Bassi & Elisa Mancinelli & Cecilia Giordano & Claudia Mazzeschi & Chiara Pazzagli & Silvia Salcuni & Gianluca Lo Coco & Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo & Gloria Lagett, 2021. "Factors Related to Women’s Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Two-Wave Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-12, November.
    6. Tomasz Sobierajski & Marek Krzystanek, 2023. "Shades of Fear—Mental and Physical Health Reactions to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Representative Study of Polish Society," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-24, January.

    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. J. Pierre Zila-Velasque & Pamela Grados-Espinoza & Naomi Coba-Villan & Jocelyn Quispe-Chamorro & Yesenia F. Taipe-Guillén & Estefany Pacheco & Laura Ccasa-Valero & Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojas & Cristian , 2022. "Mental Disorders and Level of Resilience in Eight High-Altitude Cities of Peru during the Second Pandemic Wave: A Multicenter Population-Based Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Ankica Kosic & Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović & Nebojša Petrović, 2021. "A Cross-Cultural Study of Distress during COVID-19 Pandemic: Some Protective and Risk Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-15, July.
    3. Stefania Scuri & Marina Tesauro & Fabio Petrelli & Ninfa Argento & Genny Damasco & Giovanni Cangelosi & Cuc Thi Thu Nguyen & Demetris Savva & Iolanda Grappasonni, 2022. "Use of an Online Platform to Evaluate the Impact of Social Distancing Measures on Psycho-Physical Well-Being in the COVID-19 Era," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-10, June.
    4. Xi Wang & Yuntao Zou, 2023. "Psychological Research of College Students Based on Online Education under COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.
    5. 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.
    6. Rosa Bosch & Mireia Pagerols & Raquel Prat & Gemma Español-Martín & Cristina Rivas & Montserrat Dolz & Josep Maria Haro & Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga & Marta Ribasés & Miquel Casas, 2022. "Changes in the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Associated Factors and Life Conditions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-17, March.
    7. 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.
    8. Alina Butu & Ioan Sebastian Brumă & Lucian Tanasă & Steliana Rodino & Codrin Dinu Vasiliu & Sebastian Doboș & Marian Butu, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 Crisis upon the Consumer Buying Behavior of Fresh Vegetables Directly from Local Producers. Case Study: The Quarantined Area of Suceava County, Romania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-25, July.
    9. Juan Gómez-Salgado & Montserrat Andrés-Villas & Sara Domínguez-Salas & Diego Díaz-Milanés & Carlos Ruiz-Frutos, 2020. "Related Health Factors of Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-16, June.
    10. Daniela Marchetti & Roberta Maiella & Rocco Palumbo & Melissa D’Ettorre & Irene Ceccato & Marco Colasanti & Adolfo Di Crosta & Pasquale La Malva & Emanuela Bartolini & Daniela Biasone & Nicola Mammare, 2023. "Self-Reported Mental Health and Psychosocial Correlates during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from the General Population in Italy," Data, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-7, June.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Annunziata Romeo & Agata Benfante & Lorys Castelli & Marialaura Di Tella, 2021. "Psychological Distress among Italian University Students Compared to General Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-8, March.
    14. Fang-Yi Tsai & Hannah Schillok & Michaela Coenen & Christina Merkel & Caroline Jung-Sievers & on behalf of the COSMO Study Group, 2022. "The Well-Being of the German Adult Population Measured with the WHO-5 over Different Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis within the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring Study (COSMO)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-27, March.
    15. Anna Maria Cybulska & Katarzyna Głębicka & Marzanna Stanisławska & Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska & Elżbieta Grochans & Kamila Rachubińska, 2023. "The Relationship between Social Support and Mental Health Problems of Peri- and Postmenopausal Women during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    16. Stephen X. Zhang & Hao Huang & Jizhen Li & Mayra Antonelli-Ponti & Scheila Farias de Paiva & José Aparecido da Silva, 2021. "Predictors of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Brazil during COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-10, June.
    17. Manuel Maciel-Saldierna & Emmanuel Elizondo-Hernández & Gabino Cervantes-Guevara & Enrique Cervantes-Pérez & Guillermo Alonso Cervantes-Cardona & Bertha Georgina Guzmán-Ramírez & Irma Valeria Brancacc, 2022. "Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Junior High School Students in Guadalajara, Mexico: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-10, November.
    18. 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.
    19. Maria Rosaria Gualano & Giuseppina Lo Moro & Gianluca Voglino & Fabrizio Bert & Roberta Siliquini, 2020. "Effects of Covid-19 Lockdown on Mental Health and Sleep Disturbances in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-13, July.
    20. Yiyi Chen & Ye Liu, 2021. "Which Risk Factors Matter More for Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic? An Application Approach of Gradient Boosting Decision Trees," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-18, May.

    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:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3731-:d:529363. 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.