Predictor variables of mental health in the Spanish population confined by COVID-19

Drastic changes in the lifestyle of individuals have been caused by coronarivus SARS-CoV-2 with lethal effects associated with COVID-19, which acts as a stressor for the population with adverse effects on mental health status. The aim was to identify which sociodemographic variables and psychological factors predict psychological disorders in the general Spanish population.

The sample consisted of 699 people exposed to a confinement situation, where 402 (57.51%) were women and 297 (42.49%) were men, between 18 and 73 years old (M = 27.79; SD = 12.68). Different sociodemographic and psychological variables were assessed to see if they predicted levels of anxiety and depression.

The results identify the predictive capacity of some sociodemographic risk variables such as sex (β = .144; IC95% = 1.341-3.376) and living with people who are ill with COVID-19 (β = .088; IC95% = 1.157-6.785), as well as protective factors such as self-efficacy (β = -.126; IC95% = -0.282-0.066) and hope (β = -.429; IC95% = -0.591-0.408) in mental health. In predicting anxiety levels, self-efficacy and hope are protective factors, especially when living with people in essential services. In levels of depression, only hope is considered a protective factor in people living with patients infected by COVID-19.

This study is the first to advance in the understanding of sociodemographic and psychological variables in a Spanish sample subjected to the stressful and traumatic effects of the SARS-CoV-2 viral agent.