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Psychological Burden During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany
Iris Schelhorn1, Angelika Ecker2, Michael Noah Lüdtke3
1Department of Educational Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|September 24, 2021
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread contact restriction measures in Germany.
- The impact of these measures on psychological well-being required detailed investigation.
- Previous documentation on the prevalence and types of psychological burden symptoms was limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze self-reported symptoms of psychological burden in a German sample during the early pandemic.
- To compare psychological burden between individuals under contact restrictions and a control group.
- To examine psychological burden differences across two German states.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was conducted between April 8th and June 1st, 2020.
- The ICD-10 Symptom Rating scale was used to measure psychological burden.
- Data from 1,459 participants were compared to a reference dataset (2,512 participants) without restrictions.
Main Results:
- A high prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed compared to the reference sample.
- Elevated rates of eating disorder and compulsion symptoms were identified.
- Younger adults and women reported higher symptom severity; no significant state-level differences were found.
Conclusions:
- Early COVID-19 contact restrictions in Germany were associated with significant psychological burden.
- Depressive, eating disorder, and compulsion symptoms were particularly prevalent.
- Vulnerable groups like younger adults and women require targeted mental health support during pandemics.
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