Perceived stress associated with COVID-19 epidemic in Colombia: an online survey

• Autor(a) principal: Pedrozo-Pupo,John Carlos
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Pedrozo-Cortés,María José, Campo-Arias,Adalberto
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Cadernos de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2020000506003
• topic: COVID-19; Quarantine; Psychological Distress; Cross-Sectional Studies

Abstract: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and variables related to perceived stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of Colombian adults using a designed online cross-sectional survey. Adults answered a version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) modified for COVID-19 (PSS-10-C), with Cronbach alpha equal to 0.86. In total, 406 individuals aged between 19 and 88 years (M = 43.9; SD = 12.4) agreed to participate in the survey: 61.8% were females, 90.6% had a university degree, 44.1% were health professionals, and 45.7% considered public health policies for preventing the spread of the disease inconsistent with scientific recommendations. PSS-10-C scores ranged from 0 to 36 (M = 16.5; SD = 7.3); 58 individuals (14.3%) scored for high perceived stress (cut-off point = 25). The inconsistency between policies and scientific evidence was significantly related to high perception of stress associated with COVID-19 (OR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.32-4.20), after adjusting for gender. We concluded that the study group presented the prevalence of perceived stress associated with COVID-19 at high levels, arising from the inconsistent strategies developed by health authorities in view of scientific recommendations. Further researches must address the psychosocial aspects of epidemics.