Conference paper
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ANXIETY LEVELS AND LIFE HABITS CHANGES IN GENERAL POPULATION DURING THE PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN: DECREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, FALLING ASLEEP LATE AND INTERNET BROWSING ABOUT COVID-19 ARE RISK FACTORS FOR ANXIETY, WHEREAS SOCIAL MEDIA USE IS NOT
Daria Smirnova
; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia ; Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Timur Syunyakov
; Education center, Mental Health Clinic No 1 n.a. N.A. Alexeev of Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russia ; Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia
Alexey Pavlichenko
; Education center, Mental Health Clinic No 1 n.a. N.A. Alexeev of Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russia
Dmitry Bragin
; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Ilya Fedotov
; Department of Psychiatry and Narcology, Ryazan State Medical University n.a. Academician I.P. Pavlov, Ryazan, Russia
Viktoriia Filatova
; State Budgetary Institution of the Rostov Region "Psychoneurological Dispensary", Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Yulia Ignatenko
; Education center, Mental Health Clinic No 1 n.a. N.A. Alexeev of Moscow Healthcare Department, Moscow, Russia
Natalia Kuvshinova
; Department of Pedagogics, Psychology and Psycholinguistics, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Egor Prokopenko
; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Dmitry Romanov
; Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Anna Spikina
; Saint Petersburg Psychoneurological Dispensary No 2, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Anna Yashikhina
; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia ; Department of Psychiatry, Narcology, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia
Petr Morozov
; International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia; Department of Postgraduate Education, Russian National Research Medical University n.a. N.I. Pirogov, Moscow, Russia
Konstantinos N. Fountoulakis
; Third Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Abstract
Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially contributed to increased anxiety rates among the general population
worldwide. Pandemic-related health anxiety and worries about getting COVID-19 can lead to generalized anxiety and anxiety
somatization, which, together with insalubrious daily life habits, are risk factors of worsening somatic health in people with
SARS-Cov-2 infection.
Subjects and methods: The current study is a part of the COMET-G project (40 countries, n=55589; approved by the Ethics
Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), which represents an intermediate analysis of data collected anonymously via
online links from a national sample of the Russian general population (n=9936, 31.09±12.16 y.o., 58.7% females) to estimate anxiety
using STAI-S and self-reported changes in anxiety and life habits (physical activity, nutrition and weight, internet use, sleep) during
the lockdown. All statistical calculations (descriptive statistics, between group comparisons using chi-square test, MANOVA,
ANOVA, significant at p<0.05) were performed with IBM SPSS 27.
Results: Overall STAI-S scores were 29+- 5.4, a subjective feeling of anxiety increase was reported in 40.3% of respondents (43.9%
significantly > in females), worsening to clinical anxiety in 2.1% (2.4% > in females). 54.2% of respondents reported decreased
physical activity, 33.1% gained weight, 72% used internet more often, 52.6% experienced worries related to the information about
COVID-19 (56.8% > in females). 88% experienced worsened sleep quality, 69.2% stayed up until late, 23.2% took sleeping pills,
and 31% had nightmares in which they felt trapped. To ANOVA, such life habits as reduced physical activity during the lockdown,
increased time spent online, internet browsing about COVID-19, tendency to stay up late, use of sleeping pills and disturbing dreams
with scenario of being trapped were significantly related to worsening of clinical anxiety. However, eating behaviour, weight
changes, and social media use did not contribute to the clinical anxiety increase.
Conclusions: Factors of decreased physical activity and sleep disturbances related to the lockdown, as well as excessive internet
browsing for information about COVID-19, emerged as risk factors for increased anxiety, more notably in women than in men.
Preventive measures should be targeted against relevant factors imparting anxiety in the vulnerable population.
Keywords
anxiety; COVID-19; insomnia; internet browsing; life habits; lockdown; sleep disturbances; social media
Hrčak ID:
274186
URI
Publication date:
16.9.2021.
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