Mental Health-Related Work Disabilities During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Spain: A Retrospective Analysis

Background: The COVID-19 lockdown posed unprecedented psychological challenges worldwide. In Spain, Mutual Collaborators with Social Security manage work-related disabilities, including mental health cases. Objectives: To describe and analyze work-related disabilities with mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain from the perspective of a Mutual Collaborator with Social Security in the Spanish healthcare system. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, and cross-sectional study of a sample of 5135 patients. Descriptive statistics reported mean values and standard deviation by sex and age. Inferential analyses were conducted using the Mann-Whitney U-test and correlation analysis. Results: The study population included 5135 patients managed by a Mutual Collaborator with Social Security during the COVID-19 lockdown, 63.5% of whom were women. Cantabria reported the highest average sick leave duration (62.80 days), while La Rioja had the lowest (39.19 days). Generalized anxiety disorder was the most prevalent diagnosis (69.17%), followed by adaptive disorders and mild depression. Women had a slightly higher prevalence of anxiety, while men showed higher rates of adaptive disorders. Conclusions: The findings underscore the psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, revealing significant sex and regional differences in mental health diagnoses and sick leave duration. Generalized anxiety disorder was the predominant diagnosis, highlighting the need for targeted mental health interventions during crises.