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 Oct 26:11:558691.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.558691. eCollection 2020.

Self-Perceived Stress During the Quarantine of COVID-19 Pandemic in Paraguay: An Exploratory Survey

Julio Torales  1 , Carlos Ríos-González  2 , Iván Barrios  1 , Marcelo O'Higgins  1 , Israel González  1 , Oscar García  1 , João Mauricio Castaldelli-Maia  3   4 , Antonio Ventriglio  5
Affiliations

Self-Perceived Stress During the Quarantine of COVID-19 Pandemic in Paraguay: An Exploratory Survey

Julio Torales et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Introduction: Any viral pandemic is a global health and mental health issue. The World Health Organization and mental health associations have warned that the current COVID-19 pandemic will lead to a drastic increase of stress-related conditions and mental health issues globally. Materials and Methods: An online web-based survey has been launched from 10 to 15 April 2020 in Paraguay in order to collect information regarding the stress related to the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been spread through social media ("WhatsApp," "Twitter," and "Facebook"). Two thousand two hundred and six Paraguayan citizens, over 18 years of age, completed the survey voluntarily. Socio-demographics as well as ratings at Self-perceived Stress Scale have been collected and analyzed. Results: Two thousand two hundred and six subjects (74.12% men) aged between 18 and 75 with an average of 34 ± 11 years old completed the survey. 12.42% (276 subjects) of sample reported a preexisting diagnosis of mental disorder, and 175 participants (7.93%) reported an increase of preexisting symptoms with the onset of COVID-19 quarantine. 41.97% of them had anxiety and 54.38% did not receive any specific treatment. The general population rated 18.10 ± 5.99 at Self-perceived Stress Scale, which indicates a moderate level of self-perceived stress. Significant association was found between higher levels of stress and female sex, being single, or reporting preexisting mental disorder, above all anxiety and depression (p < 0.01). In fact, in 63.87% of mentally ill subjects (n = 175), the quarantine has worsened symptoms of preexisting mental disorders. Conclusion: This study suggests a stressful impact of COVID-19 pandemic, with the majority of participants reporting a moderate level of self-perceived stress. We suggest mental health services to provide a phone-based or web-based support to the general population in order to contrast the psychological impact of the pandemic. This approach may improve the accessibility to mental healthcare services in Paraguay, especially in times of social distancing.

Keywords: COVID-19; Paraguay; mental health; pandemic; perceived-stress; stress.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cuero C. La pandemia del COVID-19 [The COVID-19 pandemic]. Rev Médica Panamá. (2020) 40:1–2. 10.37980/im.journal.rmdp.2020872 - DOI
    1. Millán-Oñate J, Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Camacho-Moreno G, Mendoza-Ramírez H, Rodríguez-Sabogal IA, Álvarez-Moreno C. A new emerging zoonotic virus of concern: the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS CoV-2). Infectio. (2020) 24:187–92. 10.22354/in.v24i3.848 - DOI
    1. Corman VM, Landt O, Kaiser M, Molenkamp R, Meijer A, Chu DK, et al. Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by real-time RT-PCR. Euro Surveill. (2020) 25:2000045 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.3.2000045 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Park M, Cook AR, Lim JT, Sun Y, Dickens BL. A systematic review of COVID-19 epidemiology based on current evidence. J Clin Med. (2020) 9:967. 10.3390/jcm9040967 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ministerio de Salud y Bienestar Social de la República del Paraguay COVID-19 - Información Sobre el Coronavirus [COVID-19 - Information on the Coronavirus]. Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social de la República del Paraguay; (2020). Available online at: https://www.mspbs.gov.py/covid-19.php?q=CORONAVIRUS&modo=1 (accessed May 1, 2020).