Acute Psychological Responses in the First Days of the COVID-19 Lock-Down Order in China; A Population-Based Survey

https://doi.org/10.22122/ijbmc.v7i3.264

Authors

  • Li Wentian
  • Zhong Baoliang Department for Clinical Psychology, Wuhan Mental Health Center, Hubei province, China, China
  • Kurt Fritzsche
    kurt.fritzsche@uniklinik-freiburg.de
    Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany, Germany
Vol 7, No 3: 2020
Report(s)
April 10, 2023

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Background: The corona crisis is an unprecedented health emergency, with serious risks for physical and mental health. After the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China, the Chinese government was the first to implement a general lock-down in the Hubei Province on January 23rd 2020, which affected more than 50 million people.

Methods: From 27th January to 2nd February 2020, 3934 inhabitants of China and 3826 inhabitants of Hubei Province were interviewed through an online survey about their physical and mental health problems following the general lock-down in the Hubei Province on January 23rd 2020.

Results: In the early stage, people under lock-down mostly suffered from health-related anxieties, sleeping problems, physical complaints, and symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders.

Conclusion: Our data indicate that social isolation is an unpleasant experience that has immediate psychological consequences for the individual. Follow-up studies to investigate the long-term psychological and psychosomatic problems resulting from the COVID-19 crisis are necessary.