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. 2021 Apr:79:102377.
doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102377. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Longitudinal changes of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: The role of pre-existing anxiety, depressive, and other mental disorders

Antonia Bendau  1 , Stefanie Lydia Kunas  2 , Sarah Wyka  2 , Moritz Bruno Petzold  2 , Jens Plag  2 , Eva Asselmann  3 , Andreas Ströhle  2
Affiliations

Longitudinal changes of anxiety and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: The role of pre-existing anxiety, depressive, and other mental disorders

Antonia Bendau et al. J Anxiety Disord. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Especially individuals with mental disorders might experience an escalation of psychopathological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we investigated the role of anxiety, depressive, and other mental disorders for levels and longitudinal changes of COVID-19-related fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. In a longitudinal observational design with four assessment waves from March, 27th until June, 15th 2020, a total of 6,551 adults from Germany was assessed. 4,175 individuals participated in one, 1,070 in two, 803 in three, and 503 in all four waves of data collection. Multilevel analyses revealed that across all assessment waves, COVID-19-related fear, anxiety, and depressive symptoms were significantly higher in individuals with vs. without anxiety, depressive, and other mental disorders. All symptoms decreased on average over time, and this decrease was significantly stronger in individuals with vs. without anxiety disorders, and particularly driven by individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Our findings suggest that individuals with mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders - and in particular those with a generalized anxiety disorder - seem to be vulnerable to experience psychological strain in the context of the pandemic, might likely overestimate potential threat, and should be targeted by preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: Corona; Distress; Mental health; Mental strain; SARS-CoV-2; Vulnerability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Development of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany at the time when the four assessments took place, including information on specific public health measures that were taken at different time points (Bendau, Plag et al., 2020) and the number of participants (N) at each assessment. (p. 19).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Symptom changes in COVID-19-related fear (C-19-A), anxiety, and depressive symptoms (PHQ-4) from T1 until T4 for different disorder groups (any anxiety, depressive, and other mental disorder).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Symptom changes in COVID-19-related fear (C-19-A), anxiety, and depressive symptoms (PHQ-4) from T1 until T4 for different anxiety disorders.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Perceived worsening of anxiety symptoms (rated on a 6-point Likert scale from 1 (not at all) to 6 (totally)) at the four waves (T1-T4) separated for different disorder types.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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