22.04.2020
Psycho-emotional state of Ukrainians during quarantine: general assessments and dynamics. Wave III (April 10–12, 2020)
- The results of the survey conducted by Rating Group during the fieldwork dates of April 10–12, 2020, once again recorded the presence among respondents of signs of depression, anxiety, panic, fatigue, and sleep disorders. Comparing the results with the previous two waves (Wave I – March 27–28; Wave II – April 3–4), a slight increase in depression and a decrease in anxiety are observed. Levels of panic, fatigue, and sleep disorders remained at the same level.
- The increase in the level of depression is likely related to physical restrictions (low mobility, reduced activity) and the lack of a sufficient number of external stimuli such as new impressions, events, and the intensity of interaction with others. Life during quarantine is often a “Groundhog Day,” a monotonous uniformity that leads to lower mood and lethargy. In addition, depression is strongly associated with fatigue (the higher the level of fatigue, the higher the level of depression) and with sleep disorders in the same way. The detected anxiety is situational (arising as a result of exposure to unusual environmental stress factors), unlike trait anxiety, which is a constant psychological characteristic of individuals. The decrease in such anxiety is likely related to adaptation to new conditions and a reduction in the sense of uncertainty. Quarantine has ceased to be an unfamiliar phenomenon, and it is precisely such unfamiliar phenomena that cause anxiety. The level of panic overall has remained at very moderate levels since the beginning of quarantine, and further growth now appears unlikely, as this state arises in response to a real or perceived serious threat and is associated with strong negative experiences regarding an unusual situation. Moreover, panic in a psychologically healthy person is a short-term state lasting from several minutes to several days, which have already passed since the beginning of quarantine.
- Age. In dynamics, an increase in sleep disorders is noticeable among representatives of middle age groups (30–49 years) and an increase in fatigue among respondents of pre-retirement age (50–59 years). At the same time, among the latter, a decrease in the level of anxiety is recorded. The same trend is observed among the oldest respondents.
- Gender. Women continue to demonstrate higher levels of all emotional indicators than men. In dynamics over this period, women show a decrease in anxiety levels, indicating better adaptation and adjustment to changes. Among men, an increase in indicators of depression and sleep disorders is recorded, which are strongly interconnected.
- Employment. Among those who have a job, lower levels of sleep disorders and depression are observed than among those who work at least partially remotely. Work helps diversify life during quarantine, partially maintain activity, communication, and interaction, distract from negative thoughts, and maintain a more stable daily routine. At the same time, fatigue indices are practically the same across all categories. In addition, among those who work remotely, levels of anxiety and panic are higher than among those who go to work, since remote work is an unusual situation that required adaptation, many processes are still not established, and there are tasks that are generally impossible to perform remotely or whose quality of performance is reduced. Those who have the opportunity to go to work have retained a larger part of their usual life and work interaction than those who work remotely.
- Locus of control. Attitudes toward life circumstances and control over them have a significant impact on the formation of the psycho-emotional state. Internals, who take responsibility for successes and failures and life events upon themselves, feel significantly better and have lower levels across all indicators, especially depression. Externals, who attribute responsibility for their lives to external factors, on the contrary, demonstrate fairly high levels of psycho-emotional tension.
- The family atmosphere is an important factor influencing the psycho-emotional state of respondents. Tension in family relationships is relatively more often observed in the 30–39 age group, who usually have preschool or primary school-aged children, creating additional tension and burden, as organizing family life with children during quarantine is more difficult for them. At the same time, representatives of older age groups are the calmest.
- Among those who characterized family relationships as calm, the level of negative emotions and states is significantly lower than among others. In this case, the family acts as a support resource during quarantine and helps reduce tension and stress. The psycho-emotional state of those who believe that their family relationships are of a mixed nature is similar to that of those who have no relationships at all. The exception is the level of anxiety, which is higher among those in relationships. Among those who are not in relationships, anxiety is at the same level as among those who consider their relationships calm.
- It is important to emphasize that among those who are in tense relationships, the level of negative psycho-emotional states is very high. In their case, the family, on the contrary, acts as an additional irritant and stressor, does not provide support or a sense of security. Moreover, during quarantine there are few opportunities to spend less time in families with tense relationships, as prolonged co-presence becomes an additional factor exacerbating an already conflict-prone atmosphere. It can be assumed that this group represents a risk group in the post-quarantine period in terms of a potential increase in the number of divorces.
Methodology
- Sample: III wave (10-12.04.2020) - 1627 respondents aged 18 and older.
- The margin of error with confidence level 0.95 does not exceed 4%.
- Internet poll using CASI method (Computer-Assisted Self Interviewing). Based on a random sampling of mobile phone numbers.
- The project was implemented in collaboration with the National Research Network “POLLARIS”
.webp)
