Complementary Study

We wish to draw attention to a study we conducted of mental stress in the German population during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was published recently (1). The study compared from 24 April 2020 to 23 May 2020 the mental stress in a representative sample of the population of Mannheim (1000 women, 1000 men, response rate 36.9%) during lockdown in April 2020 with that in 2018. Both surveys were realized with an identical study design. This enabled a direct comparison of the mental stress on the basis of quantitative symptom scales and allows conclusions about the proportion of relevant psychological impairments. No statistically significant differences were seen between 2018 and 2020 as regards mental wellbeing, which was measured with the WHO-5 wellbeing index. When we evaluated the patient health questionnaire (PHQ), with which signs of depression and anxiety as well as eating disorders and alcohol misuse, we did not find any increase during lockdown that reached significance either. Of note, older persons and people with a higher educational level, as well as people who felt well informed about the COVID-19 pandemic, were found to have better mental wellbeing. Personal protective factors, such as emotional stability, optimism, internal loci of control, and a low tendency to ruminate/brood were independently associated with better mental wellbeing.

The results of our study support the assumption of Gilan et al (2) that individual risk and resilience factors are of major importance for mental wellbeing during the crisis.