Meta-worry, anxiety, and depression in the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Brazil, June 2020

Abstract

Introduction. Threats to mental health and psychological well-being have been considered among the most challenging dimensions to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective. To track the occurrence of significant anxiety and depression symptoms and the level of worry among residents in Brazil in June 2020. Method. The final sample totaled 4,805 participants from all Brazilian states. A sociodemographic and health questionnaire (with questions related to COVID-19), the translated versions of the Meta-Worry Questionnaire, and the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) were used. Inferential analyses were computed using the Multinomial Logistic Regression (backward stepwise) in which the PHQ-4 findings were stratified into four categories: no symptoms, only anxiety symptoms, only depression symptoms, and both symptoms. Results. Research findings have shown that there are characteristics that predict greater exposure to significant symptoms of anxiety and depression (gender, age, and level of worry), with level of worry being the variable with the greatest impact on the model. Discussion and conclusion. These data found during the COVID-19 pandemic intra-crisis period allow for early prediction of the negative outcomes associated with the pandemic, such as common mental disorders, and allocating interventions to help people to rationally deal with the stress related to this moment, regulating their emotions, and improving their overall mental health.