COVID-19 and Mental Health; 26 March to 7 April 2020, Slovenia

Summary:  View help for Summary The aim of the study was to obtain the first psychological responses and observe mental status of Slovenes at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic during the first lockdown in Slovenia.

Specifically, we explored how people experience changes in daily life during an epidemic and how these are related to various aspects of mental health (e.g., experiencing anxiety, loneliness, worries, psychological well-being, potential positive changes in an individual’s life).

This is an online study, utilizing convenience sampling. The data were collected from 26 March to 7 April 2020. Altogether, 311 people participated in the study, including 259 women. The participants were aged from 19 to 77 years old (M = 33.79, SD = 11,69). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. 

The measures used in the study were admistred in Slovene language. They included:
- Demographic variables,
- Demographic variables related to work and COVID-19,
- Variables on SARS-Cov-2 infection,
- Anxiety as a state (STAI, six items; Marteau and Bekker, 1992),
- Anxiety as a trait (STAI, five items; Zsido, 2020),
- Psychological well-being (WHO-5; WHO, 1998),
- Loneliness (De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale; De Jong Gierveld and Van Tilburg 2006 and Three-Item Loneliness Scale; Hudges et al, 2004),
- Qualitative measures (biggest worries, psychological needs, positive changes),
- Variables on preventive activities.

Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources Slovenian Research Agency (P3-0384)