Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
Family Health Unit Beira Ria, Gafanha da Nazaré, Portugal.
Front Public Health. 2023 Jul 31;11:1159172. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159172. eCollection 2023.
Since 2019, Europe has experienced ongoing stressors with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian War, which have had social, financial, physical, and psychological impacts. Studies suggest that anxiety, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other psychological disorders are common in such situations, and there is a need for more research on the impact of the war on mental health in Portugal. The main goal of the present study was to assess the impact of the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety related to nuclear war on the general anxiety levels of adult individuals living in Portugal.
A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2022 using an online questionnaire built on the Google Forms platform. Portuguese-speaking male and female individuals aged 18 years or older, who provided informed consent and agreed to participate, were included. The outcome variable was defined using the Portuguese version of the GAD-7 scale, while the main predictors were the FCV-19S and the NWA Scale in Portuguese. Linear and logistic regression models were used to test associations between predictors and outcome variable.
The study included 1,182 participants, with a mean age of 46.5 (±11.7) years, mostly women (80.6%). The global mean GAD-7 score was 5.8 (±4.5) points, and 17.9% of the participants scored above the 10-point cutoff. Higher scores were found in both the FCV-19S and the NWA scale among participants with anxiety, as measured by both a 10-point cutoff ( < 0.001), and GAD-7 scale mean scores ( < 0.001). The study showed that fear of COVID-19 [OR of 1.133 (95%CI: 1.097-1.170)] and, at a lesser extent, nuclear war anxiety [OR of 1.020 (95%CI, 1.009-1.031)] contribute to anxiety in the general population. This is also true for those with a personal history of anxiety, revealed by multiple regression.
This study contributes to the research on COVID-19's impact on anxiety and provides the first comprehensive assessment of nuclear war anxiety in Portugal. Results highlight the need for long-term care for anxiety, as prevalence is expected to increase due to the pandemic and war, even in non-conflict areas like Portugal.
自 2019 年以来，欧洲经历了持续的压力，包括 COVID-19 大流行和俄乌战争的出现，这些压力对社会、经济、身体和心理都产生了影响。研究表明，在这种情况下，焦虑、恐惧、创伤后应激障碍、抑郁和其他心理障碍很常见，因此需要更多研究战争对葡萄牙心理健康的影响。本研究的主要目的是评估对 COVID-19 的恐惧和与核战争相关的焦虑对葡萄牙成年个体一般焦虑水平的影响。
本研究于 2022 年 5 月至 7 月采用在线问卷调查方式进行，问卷基于 Google Forms 平台搭建。纳入同意参加且年龄在 18 岁及以上的葡萄牙语男性和女性参与者。结局变量使用葡萄牙语版 GAD-7 量表定义，主要预测因子为 FCV-19S 和葡萄牙语 NWA 量表。使用线性和逻辑回归模型检验预测因子与结局变量之间的关联。
研究纳入 1182 名参与者，平均年龄为 46.5（±11.7）岁，大多数为女性（80.6%）。全球平均 GAD-7 得分为 5.8（±4.5）分，17.9%的参与者得分高于 10 分。焦虑组参与者的 FCV-19S 和 NWA 量表得分均较高，截断值为 10 分（ < 0.001）和 GAD-7 量表平均分（ < 0.001）。研究表明，对 COVID-19 的恐惧（OR：1.133，95%CI：1.097-1.170）和对核战争的恐惧（OR：1.020，95%CI：1.009-1.031）在普通人群中都会导致焦虑。对于那些有焦虑个人史的人来说也是如此，这一点通过多元回归得到了证实。
本研究为 COVID-19 对焦虑影响的研究做出了贡献，并首次对葡萄牙核战争焦虑进行了全面评估。结果强调了对焦虑进行长期护理的必要性，因为即使在葡萄牙等非冲突地区，由于大流行和战争，焦虑的患病率预计也会增加。
