Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Mental health of Scandinavians during the first lockdown in the Covid‐19 pandemic

Psychosocial resources and coping strategies as protective or risk factors for anxiety and depression

Bibliographic Data

ID21391936
AuthorsHeidi Frølund Pedersen (0000-0002-8612-5466, Research Clinic for Functional Disorders Aarhus University Hospital Aarhus Denmark, corresponding author), Tobias Anker Stripp (0000-0001-7271-3411, Research Unit of General Practice Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark), Niels Christian Hvidt (0000-0002-6311-9784, Research Unit of General Practice Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark), Tor‐Arne Isene (0000-0002-2199-3027, Research Center for Existential Health Innlandet Hospital Trust Brumunddal Norway), Peter La Cour (0000-0002-3673-313X, Research Center for Existential Health Innlandet Hospital Trust Brumunddal Norway), Gry Stålsett (0000-0003-3365-5516, MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society), Lars Johan Danbolt (0000-0001-8839-2886, Innlandet Hospital Trust)
Year2023
Volume64
Issue5
Pages543-551
Publication date2023-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12911
PMID36871196
OpenAlexW4323255449
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited45

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic was a global health and economic crisis. In the early phase of the pandemic, studies found that populations were reporting lower levels of mental well-being and high levels of distress and worry. This study investigated potential protective and risk factors such as sociodemographics and psychological factors such as adaptation/coping. METHODS: Two convenience samples from Norway and Denmark were recruited during the early phase of the first lockdown in May 2020 using snowball sampling primarily by social media. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) for screening anxiety and depression, COVID-19 distress, and coping strategies applied during the lockdown. Descriptive analyses were applied as well as bivariate correlations for associations between coping and mental health measures. RESULTS: Levels of anxiety and depression were not alarmingly high, but being young, single, and female constituted a higher risk for poorer mental health. Applying positive reframing strategies was negatively associated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress, whereas distraction coping strategies were positively correlated with poor mental health and high COVID-19 stress. CONCLUSION: Applying positive reframing as a coping strategy may constitute a protective factor for mental health in the early phase of a crisis such as a pandemic. This knowledge may inform public health agencies on how to promote mental health in similar situations in the future. However, longitudinal and qualitative studies are needed to investigate the long-term effects of the different coping strategies applied

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Anxiety · Coping (psychology) · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Depression (economics) · Disease · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Mental health · Pandemic · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Virology

  • Resisting Fear

    Open Access•Tyrone B Pretorius, Anita Padmanabhanunni•Social Sciences•2023

  • The Effect of Professional Social Media Usage on Procrastination and Work Engagement in the Face of the Covid ‐19 Pandemic

    Open Access•Dicle Berfin Köse, Reetta Oksa et al.•Scandinavian Journal of Psychology•2025

  • The depressive state of Denmark during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open Access•Kim Mannemar Sønderskov, P T Dinesen et al.•Acta Neuropsychiatrica•2020

  • What predicts psychological resilience after disaster? The role of demographics, resources, and life stress.

    George A Bonanno, Sandro Galea et al.•Journal of Consulting and…•2007

  • Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health

    Open Access•Andrew T Gloster, Demetris Lamnisos et al.•PLoS ONE•2020

  • A 4-item measure of depression and anxiety

    Open Access•Bernd Löwe, Inka Wahl et al.•Journal of Affective Disorders•2010

  • The Mental Health Consequences of Covid-19 and Physical Distancing

    Sandro Galea, Raina M Merchant et al.•JAMA Internal Medicine•2020

  • Drinking to Cope During Covid‐19 Pandemic

    Open Access•Jeffrey D Wardell, Tyler Kempe et al.•Alcoholism: Clinical and…•2020

  • The Psychological Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Teenagers in China

    Open Access•Caiyun Zhang, Maolin Ye et al.•Journal of Adolescent Health•2020

  • An Ultra-Brief Screening Scale for Anxiety and Depression

    Open Access•Kurt Kroenke, Robert L Spitzer et al.•Psychosomatics•2009

  • The Patient Health Questionnaire Somatic, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptom Scales

    Open Access•Kurt Kroenke, Robert L Spitzer et al.•General Hospital Psychiatry•2010

  • Mental health and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open Access•Rory C O''Connor, Karen Wetherall et al.•The British Journal of Psychiatry•2021

  • Who is the Most Stressed During the Covid‐19 Pandemic? Data From 26 Countries and Areas

    Open Access•Marta Kowal, Tao Coll‐martin et al.•Applied Psychology: Health and…•2020

  • Emotional distress in young adults during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open Access•Lilly Shanahan, Anne Steinhoff et al.•Psychological Medicine•2022

  • Social distancing in covid-19

    Open Access•Ashwin Venkatesh, Shantal Edirappuli•BMJ•2020

  • An Ultra-Brief Screening Scale for Anxiety and Depression

    Open Access•Kurt Kroenke, Robert Spitzer et al.•Psychosomatics•2009

  • Narrative synthesis of psychological and coping responses towards emerging infectious disease outbreaks in the general population

    Open Access•Qian Hui Chew, QH Chew et al.•Singapore Medical Journal•2020

  • Hope and well-being in vulnerable contexts during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Victor Counted, Kenneth I Pargament et al.•The Journal of Positive Psychology•2022

  • Knowledge, Attitudes, Anxiety, and Coping Strategies of Students during Covid-19 Pandemic

    Erick T Baloran•Journal of Loss and Trauma•2020

  • Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and symptoms of depression and anxiety among older Americans (NSHAP)

    Open Access•Ziggi Ivan Santini, Paul E Jose et al.•The Lancet Public Health•2020

  • Mental health before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open Access•Matthias Pierce, Holly Hope et al.•The Lancet Psychiatry•2020

  • Stress, appraisal, and coping

    Open Access•H J Eysenck•Behaviour Research and Therapy•1985

  • Covid-19 pandemic and mental health consequences

    Open Access•Nina Vindegaard, Michael Eriksen Benros•Brain, Behavior, and Immunity•2020

  • Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in the general population

    Open Access•Jiaqi Xiong, Orly Lipsitz et al.•Journal of Affective Disorders•2020

  • Generalized anxiety disorder, depressive symptoms and sleep quality during Covid-19 outbreak in China

    Open Access•Yeen Huang, Ning Zhao•Psychiatry Research•2020

  • Americans’ distress early in the Covid-19 pandemic

    Open Access•Crystal L Park, Lucy Finkelstein‐Fox et al.•Psychological Trauma Theory…•2021

  • Meaning in Life and Self-Control Buffer Stress in Times of Covid-19

    Open Access•Tatjana Schnell, Henning Krampe•Frontiers in Psychiatry•2020

  • The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental and physical health in Denmark – a longitudinal population-based study before and during the first wave

    Open Access•Marie Weinreich Petersen, Thomas Meinertz Dantoft et al.•BMC Public Health•2021

  • Individual differences and changes in subjective wellbeing during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic

    Hannes Zacher, Cort W Rudolph•American Psychologist•2020

  • Assessing coping strategies

    Charles S Carver, Michael F Scheier et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•1989

Unique citing works2
Citations per year0,67
Citation span2023 - 2025 (3)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 2
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae