• Insomnia, nervous hunger and depression: isolation stress for 3 out of 10 Italians
  • Minors and lockdowns, for six out of ten anxiety and regression

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07 August 2020 Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are the psychological 'legacy' of Covid-19 and the long lockdown. This was revealed by two studies coordinated by the University of Turin and recently published in international scientific journals.

According to the first study, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 69% of Italians have symptoms of anxiety, 31% of depression, while 20% report symptoms of post-traumatic stress, which according to scientific literature tend to worsen in time. The subjects most at risk are women, subjects with low levels of schooling and those who have come into contact with Covid-19 patients.

The second study, conducted on healthcare professionals and published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, was conducted on 145 healthcare professionals, doctors and nurses. Those who were working in the Covid ward report far higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress than those who have not been in contact with Covid patients. Moreover, among the former, being a woman and being single represent risk factors for depressive symptoms while being a woman and being older are associated with higher levels of post-traumatic stress.

In addition to highlighting the dramatic impact of the epidemic on people's mental health, for the University of Turin these results highlight the need to implement timely screening programs aimed at identifying people with clinically relevant levels of psychopathology.