Immediate psychological effects of COVID-2019 in people sheltered in place living in New York state

Abstract

Introduction The epidemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2, which began in Wuhan city in December 2019, quickly spread to various countries around the world. The first case in New York State was confirmed on March 1; three weeks later (on March 22, 8 p.m.) the entire population was sheltered in place (SIP). By March 27, the USA had already become the first country in the world for the number of infections. 56% of known domestic cases were confined to New York State. Objectives The study aims to evaluate the immediate psychological effects on sheltered in place persons aged between 18 and 70 years old and living in New York State (USA). Methods This study is based on a cross-sectional online survey conducted anonymously in the period between the tenth and twenty-third day of SIP. Zung Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale (ZAS scale), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS4) were used to evaluate anxiety, insomnia and stress respectively. Results We collected data on 354 individuals (189 females, 34.9 years). MANOVA evidenced that anxiety was significantly related to marital status (higher for divorced/widow participants as compared to married/civil partnership and single), it decreased significantly with age, it was higher for females and for persons having an history of psychiatric disorders and sleeping problems. Conclusions Our results could be used as a “psychological baseline” meanwhile the outbreak of COVID-19 is still ongoing. Despite the few days of shelter in place, we found the presence of a significant incidence and pervasive prevalence of psychological distress. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• shelter in place
• Anxiety
• stress
• Insomnia