MENTAL HEALTH, PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES AGAINST COVID AMONG YOUNG ADULTS UNDER 30
MENTAL HEALTH AND CONTENTION MEASURES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21134/haaj.v22i1.649Keywords:
Mental health, young adults, contention measures, covidAbstract
Introduction: Previous studies have shown negative effects of COVID-19 contention measures on young adults´ menÂtal health.
Objectives: For this reason, factors associated to developing mental health problems in young adults under 30 and preventive practices predictors have been studied.
Methodology: An online survey has been designed. The sample was composed of 327 young adults. Data collection took place during the lockdown period. The measures used were: General Health Questionnaire and Psychological Capital Scale. Additionally, contention measures data about social distance, gloves use, mask use, hand hygiene and lockdown at home were collected.
Results: The results have shown high distress on study participants. 99.6 % of the sample presented GHQ scores higher than 3 and 55.7 % higher than 6. To be a man was associated to poorer scores on mental health and lower compliance with preventive measures. Additionally, a higher psychological capital was associated to a better mental health.
Conclusions: The results have pointed out to the need of caring of young people´ mental health during covid 19 pandemic. It is possible that programs addressed to promote psychological capital would improve mental health during the pandemic.
.
Downloads
References
Achdut, N., & Refaeli, T. (2020). Unemployment and psychological distress among young people during the COVID-19
pandemic: Psychological resources and risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public
Health, 17(19), 7163 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197163
Akkaya-Kalayci, T., Kothgassner, O. D., Wenzel, T., Goreis, A., Chen, A., Ceri, V., & Özlü-Erkilic, Z. (2020). The Impact of
the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being of Young People Living in Austria and Turkey:
A Multicenter Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), 9111. https://
doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17239111
Alonzi, S., La Torre, A., & Silverstein, M. W. (2020). The psychological impact of preexisting mental and physical
health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy, 12,
S236-S238. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000840
Atchison, C., Bowman, L. R., Vrinten, C., Redd, R., Pristerí , P., Eaton, J., & Ward, H. (2021). Early perceptions and
behavioural responses during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey of UK adults. BMJ open, 11(1),
e043577 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043577
Avey, J. B., Reichard, R. J., Luthans, F., & Mhatre, K. H. (2011). Metaâ€analysis of the impact of positive psychological
capital on employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance. Human resource development quarterly, 22(2), 127-
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20070
Chesser, A., Drassen Ham, A., & Keene Woods, N. (2020). Assessment of COVID-19 knowledge among university students:
implications for future risk communication strategies. Health Education & Behavior, 47(4), 540-543. https://
doi.org/10.1177/1090198120931420
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. New York, NY: Routledge Academic.
De La Vega, R., Ruíz-Barquín, R., Boros, S., & Szabo, A. (2020). Could attitudes toward COVID-19 in Spain render men
more vulnerable than women?. Global public health, 15(9), 1278-1291. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1791212
Domínguez-Salas, S., Gómez-Salgado, J., Andrés-Villas, M., Díaz-Milanés, D., Romero-Martín, M., & Ruiz-Frutos,
C. (2020). Psycho-emotional approach to the psychological distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: a
cross-sectional observational study. Healthcare,8 (3),190. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8030190
Fernández, R. S., Crivelli, L., Guimet, N. M., Allegri, R. F., & Pedreira, M. E. (2020). Psychological distress associated
with COVID-19 quarantine: Latent profile analysis, outcome prediction and mediation analysis. Journal of affective
disorders, 277, 75-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.133.
Galasso, V., Pons, V., Profeta, P., Becher, M., Brouard, S., & Foucault, M. (2020). Gender differences in COVID-19 attitudes
and behavior: Panel evidence from eight countries. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(44),
-27291. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012520117
Ganson, K. T., Tsai, A. C., Weiser, S. D., Benabou, S. E., & Nagata, J. M. (2020). Job insecurity and symptoms of anxiety
and depression among US young adults during COVID-19. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(1), 53-56. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.10.008
Geana, M. V. (2020). Kansans in the middle of the pandemic: risk perception, knowledge, compliance with preventive
measures, and primary sources of information about COVID-19. Kansas journal of medicine, 13, 160.
Goldberg D. (1992). General health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Windsor: NFER-Nelson.
Hawke, L. D., Barbic, S. P., Voineskos, A., Szatmari, P., Cleverley, K., Hayes, E., ... & Henderson, J. L. (2020). Impacts of
COVID-19 on Youth Mental Health, Substance Use, and Well-being: A Rapid Survey of Clinical and Community Samples,
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(10), 701-709. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743720940562
Jia, R., Ayling, K., Chalder, T., Massey, A., Broadbent, E., Morling, J. R., ... & Vedhara, K. (2020). Young people, mental
health and COVID-19 infection: the canaries we put in the coal mine. Public health, 189, 158-161. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.10.018
Kohlmann, S., Gierk,B., Hilbert, A., Brähler E., & Löwe, B. (2016). La superposición de los síndromes somáticos, ansiosos
y depresivos: un análisis poblacional. Revista de investigación psicosomática, 90, 51-56.
Kwok, K. O., Li, K. K., Chan, H. H., Yi, Y. Y., Tang, A., Wei, W. I., & Wong, Y. S. (2020). Community responses during the
early phase of the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong: risk perception, information exposure and preventive measures.
Emerging infectious diseases, 26, 1575–1579. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2607.200500
Li, J.B., Yang, A., Dou, K. & Cheung, R.Y. (2020). Self-Control Moderates the Association Between Perceived Severity
of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Mental Health Problems Among the Chinese Public, International Journal
of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 4820. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134820
Liu, C. H., Zhang, E., Wong, G. T. F., & Hyun, S. (2020). Factors associated with depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptomatology
during the COVID-19 pandemic: Clinical implications for US young adult mental health. Psychiatry research,
, 113172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113172
Luthans, F., Norman, S. M., Avolio, B. J., & Avey, J. B. (2008). The mediating role of psychological capital in the supportive
organizational climate—employee performance relationship. The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational
and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 29(2), 219-238 https://doi.org/10.1002/job.507
Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. New
York: Oxford.
Marinthe, G., Brown, G., Delouvée, S., & Jolley, D. (2020). Looking out for myself: Exploring the relationship between
conspiracy mentality, perceived personal risk, and COVIDâ€19 prevention measures. British Journal of Health Psychology,
(4), 957-980. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12449
Nivette, A., Ribeaud, D., Murray, A., Steinhoff, A., Bechtiger, L., Hepp, U., ... & Eisner, M. (2020). Non-compliance with
COVID-19-related public health measures among young adults in Switzerland: Insights from a longitudinal cohort
study. Social Science & Medicine, 268, 113370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113370
Omar, A., Salessi, S., & Urteaga, F. (2014). Diseño y validación de la escala CapPsi para medir capital psicológico.
Liberabit, 20(2), 315-323.
Organización Mundial de la Salud (2017). Depression and other common mental disorders: global health estimates
(No. WHO/MSD/MER/2017.2).
Qeadan, F., Akofua Mensah, N., Tingey, B., Bern, R., Rees, T., Talboys, S., ... & Shoaf, K. (2020). What protective health
measures are Americans taking in response to COVID-19? Results from the COVID Impact Survey. International Journal
of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6295. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176295
Selvaraj, P. R. (2015). Using positive psychological capital to predict mental health in college students: Implications
for counseling and higher education (Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University)
Solomou, I., & Constantinidou, F. (2020). Prevalence and predictors of anxiety and depression symptoms during
the COVID-19 pandemic and compliance with precautionary measures: Age and sex matter. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 17(14), 4924. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17144924
Tomczyk, S., Rahn, M., & Schmidt, S. (2020). Social distancing and stigma: Association between compliance with
behavioral recommendations, risk perception, and stigmatizing attitudes during the COVID-19 outbreak. Frontiers
in psychology, 11, 1821. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01821
Varma, P., Junge, M., Meaklim, H., & Jackson, M. L. (2020). Younger people are more vulnerable to stress, anxiety
and depression during COVID-19 pandemic: A global cross-sectional survey. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology
and Biological Psychiatry, 110236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110236
Vinkers, C. H., van Amelsvoort, T., Bisson, J. I., Branchi, I., Cryan, J. F., Domschke, K., ... & van der Wee, N. J. (2020).
Stress resilience during the coronavirus pandemic. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 35, 12-16. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.05.003
Von Soest, T., Bakken, A., Pedersen, W., & Sletten, M. A. (2020). Life satisfaction among adolescents before and during
the COVID-19 pandemic. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening, 140, 10. https://doi.org/10.4045/tidsskr.20.0437
Wang, Y., Di, Y., Ye, J., & Wei, W. (2021). Study on the public psychological states and its related factors during the
outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in some regions of China. Psychology, health & medicine, 26(1),
-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2020.1746817
Zhang, C., Ye, M., Fu, Y., Yang, M., Luo, F., Yuan, J., & Tao, Q. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on teenagers in China. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(6), 747-755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jadohealth.2020.08.026
Zhang, W. R., Wang, K., Yin, L., Zhao, W. F., Xue, Q., Peng, M., ... & Wang, H. X. (2020). Mental health and psychosocial
problems of medical health workers during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics,
(4), 242-250. https://doi.org/10.1159/000507639
Zhao, S. Z., Wong, J. Y. H., Wu, Y., Choi, E. P. H., Wang, M. P., & Lam, T. H. (2020). Social distancing compliance under
Covid-19 pandemic and mental health impacts: A population-based study. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 17(18), 6692. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186692
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Health and Addictions Journal/Revista Salud y Drogas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors publishing in this journal agree to the journal's statement of ethical principles and to the following terms:
The rights of the published material shall belong to their respective authors. Articles published in HAAJ may be used under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license, and may be read, copied, distributed, printed, searched, or linked to in the full text of this journal without prior permission from the publisher or author, provided that HAAJ and the authors are acknowledged and not used for commercial purposes.
Authors may include the work in institutional repositories or other publications as long as this journal is acknowledged and properly cited.
The HAAJ editorial team encourages authors to disseminate their published work through any means (conferences, classes, lectures, talks, etc.) and/or platforms (social networks, repositories, websites, etc.).
HAAJ follows the Core Practices of COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).
How to Cite
