Lindberg Daniel, Nilsson Kent W, Stier Jonas, Kerstis Birgitta
Department of Social Work, School of Behavioural, Social and Legal Sciences, Örebro University, 70182 Örebro, Sweden.
Center for Clinical Research, Central Hospital of Västerås, Uppsala University, 75310 Uppsala, Sweden.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025 Jun 17;22(6):952. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22060952.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on society, including on physical and mental health. This study investigated changes in mental health parameters among a Swedish sample during and after the pandemic. Using a longitudinal study, we investigated the relationships among life dissatisfaction, psychological distress, and worries, with factors such as age, sex, education, severe illness, and job loss due to the pandemic among 588 men (mean age 54.9 years), and 653 women (mean age 52.9 years). The results reveal sex differences in life dissatisfaction and psychological distress; in addition, younger individuals reported more life dissatisfaction, and psychological distress compared with older groups. Women were 4.5 times more likely than men to report worries in 2021 and 2.3 times more likely in 2022, even after adjusting for age, education, severe illness, and job loss. This study shows how societal expectations and sex roles may exacerbate these differences in mental well-being during a time of crisis. The conclusions emphasize the importance of considering factors such as sex, age, education, and employment status when developing interventions and support systems during a global crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to affect society for a long time, indicating a need for ongoing research into population-level consequences.
新冠疫情对社会产生了深远影响，包括对身心健康的影响。本研究调查了瑞典一个样本在疫情期间及之后心理健康参数的变化。通过一项纵向研究，我们在588名男性（平均年龄54.9岁）和653名女性（平均年龄52.9岁）中，研究了生活满意度、心理困扰和担忧之间的关系，以及年龄、性别、教育程度、重症疾病和因疫情导致的失业等因素。结果显示，在生活满意度和心理困扰方面存在性别差异；此外，与老年群体相比，年轻人报告的生活满意度和心理困扰更多。即使在调整了年龄、教育程度、重症疾病和失业因素后，2021年女性报告担忧的可能性仍比男性高4.5倍，2022年高2.3倍。本研究表明，在危机时期，社会期望和性别角色可能会加剧这些心理健康差异。结论强调，在全球危机期间制定干预措施和支持系统时，考虑性别、年龄、教育程度和就业状况等因素的重要性。新冠疫情将在很长一段时间内继续影响社会，这表明有必要持续研究其对人口层面的影响。
