Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov:75:12-20.
doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.011. Epub 2020 May 12.

The enemy who sealed the world: effects quarantine due to the COVID-19 on sleep quality, anxiety, and psychological distress in the Italian population

Maria Casagrande  1 , Francesca Favieri  2 , Renata Tambelli  3 , Giuseppe Forte  4
Affiliations

The enemy who sealed the world: effects quarantine due to the COVID-19 on sleep quality, anxiety, and psychological distress in the Italian population

Maria Casagrande et al. Sleep Med. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health emergency. The extreme actions aimed to reduce virus diffusion have profoundly changed the lifestyles of the Italian population. Moreover, fear of contracting the infection has generated high levels of anxiety. This study aimed to understand the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on sleep quality, general anxiety symptomatology, and psychological distress.

Methods: An online survey collected information on socio-demographic data and additional information concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, sleep quality, sleep disorders, generalized anxiety symptoms, psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology related to COVID-19 were assessed.

Results: This study included 2291 respondents. The results revealed that 57.1% of participants reported poor sleep quality, 32.1% high anxiety, 41.8% high distress, and 7.6% reported PTSD symptomatology linked to COVID-19. Youth and women, those uncertain regarding possible COVID-19 infection, and greater fear of direct contact with those infected by COVID-19 had an increased risk of developing sleep disturbances, as well as higher levels of anxiety and distress. Finally, a significant relationship between sleep quality, generalized anxiety, and psychological distress with PTSD symptoms related to COVID-19 was evidenced.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a risk factor for sleep disorders and psychological diseases in the Italian population, as previously reported in China. These results should be used as a starting point for further studies aimed to develop psychological interventions to minimize the brief and long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Generalized anxiety; PTSD; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Psychological well-being; Sleep quality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The ICMJE Uniform Disclosure Form for Potential Conflicts of Interest associated with this article can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2020.05.011.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of poor sleep quality, generalized anxiety symptoms and psychological distress.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization . 2020. Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation reports.https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situatio... Consulted on April 1st.
    1. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. 2020. Epicentro. Coronavirus.https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/ Consulted on April 8th.
    1. Brooks S.K., Webster R.K., Smith L.E. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rubin G.J., Wessely S. The psychological effects of quarantining a city. BMJ. 2020:368. - PubMed
    1. Mak I.W.C., Chu C.M., Pan P.C. Risk factors for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in SARS survivors. Gen Hosp Psychiatr. 2010;32(6):590–598. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms