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COVID-19 or threat of a nuclear war in Europe? A cross-sectional study of anxiety levels in adults living in Portugal

dc.contributor.authorPrazeres, José Filipe Chaves Pereira
dc.contributor.authorMaricoto, Tiago
dc.contributor.authorLima, Inês Sampaio
dc.contributor.authorSimões, Pedro Augusto Gomes Rodrigues Marques
dc.contributor.authorSimões, José Augusto Rodrigues
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-28T08:22:02Z
dc.date.available2023-08-28T08:22:02Z
dc.date.issued2023-07-31
dc.description.abstractBackground: Since 2019, Europe has experienced ongoing stressors with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian–Ukrainian War, which have had social, financial, physical, and psychological impacts. Studies suggest that anxiety, fear, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and other psychological disorders are common in such situations, and there is a need for more research on the impact of the war on mental health in Portugal. The main goal of the present study was to assess the impact of the fear of COVID-19 and anxiety related to nuclear war on the general anxiety levels of adult individuals living in Portugal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2022 using an online questionnaire built on the Google Forms platform. Portuguese-speaking male and female individuals aged 18 years or older, who provided informed consent and agreed to participate, were included. The outcome variable was defined using the Portuguese version of the GAD-7 scale, while the main predictors were the FCV-19S and the NWA Scale in Portuguese. Linear and logistic regression models were used to test associations between predictors and outcome variable. Results: The study included 1,182 participants, with a mean age of 46.5 (±11.7) years, mostly women (80.6%). The global mean GAD-7 score was 5.8 (±4.5) points, and 17.9% of the participants scored above the 10-point cutoff. Higher scores were found in both the FCV-19S and the NWA scale among participants with anxiety, as measured by both a 10-point cutoff (p < 0.001), and GAD-7 scale mean scores (p < 0.001). The study showed that fear of COVID-19 [OR of 1.133 (95%CI: 1.097–1.170)] and, at a lesser extent, nuclear war anxiety [OR of 1.020 (95%CI, 1.009–1.031)] contribute to anxiety in the general population. This is also true for those with a personal history of anxiety, revealed by multiple regression. Discussion: This study contributes to the research on COVID-19’s impact on anxiety and provides the first comprehensive assessment of nuclear war anxiety in Portugal. Results highlight the need for long-term care for anxiety, as prevalence is expected to increase due to the pandemic and war, even in non-conflict areas like Portugal.pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159172pt_PT
dc.identifier.eissn2296-2565
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/13398
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.relation.publisherversionhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1159172/fullpt_PT
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/pt_PT
dc.subjectCovid-19pt_PT
dc.subjectNuclear warpt_PT
dc.subjectAnxietypt_PT
dc.subjectPortugalpt_PT
dc.titleCOVID-19 or threat of a nuclear war in Europe? A cross-sectional study of anxiety levels in adults living in Portugalpt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.titleFrontiers in Public Healthpt_PT
oaire.citation.volume11pt_PT
person.familyNamePrazeres
person.familyNameMaricoto
person.familyNameSimões
person.familyNameRodrigues Simões
person.givenNameFilipe
person.givenNameTiago
person.givenNamePedro Augusto
person.givenNameJosé Augusto
person.identifierR-00H-X7P
person.identifierL-4695-2016
person.identifier.ciencia-idD91A-C347-7EF5
person.identifier.ciencia-id1017-111B-5EF4
person.identifier.ciencia-id5111-BB0F-F1F2
person.identifier.ciencia-idE419-CED2-38BA
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-2849-5194
person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-4201-9565
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-4692-2003
person.identifier.orcid0000-0003-2264-7086
person.identifier.ridM-7423-2019
person.identifier.ridO-3955-2017
person.identifier.scopus-author-id56083702600
person.identifier.scopus-author-id36896116500
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationa44e1933-35da-48a6-b1a2-616ddde66d92
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationed3d132f-296f-4937-bc5e-d3471865306e
relation.isAuthorOfPublication10fb5c22-b65f-4890-ae07-234f5a8b0a18
relation.isAuthorOfPublication919b504d-aaa9-40ee-a1a5-40e1e0a57f6f
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoverya44e1933-35da-48a6-b1a2-616ddde66d92

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