Coronavirus affects public mental health but slightly

So far, the corona epidemic and the restrictive measures seem to have a smaller impact on the psychological well-being of the population than was originally feared, according to the report of a survey conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

Many are concerned in different ways about the effects of coronavirus, but the exceptional circumstances and concerns related to it do not seem to have led to the spread of mental disorders in working-age people, said a THL press release.

THL has launched the survey to investigate the broader impacts of the coronavirus epidemic and related restrictive measures on the health and well-being of the population.

The collection of data is being carried out as part of the coronavirus epidemic serological population study, which examines the extent to which coronavirus antibodies are present among the population as a sign of having contracted the disease or having been an asymptomatic carrier of the virus.

The most common concern related to the coronavirus epidemic is that a close relative or friend would contract the virus, with 45% of the respondents reporting that they were either quite concerned or very concerned about this.

A total of 35% of the respondents were either quite concerned or very concerned about the fact that they themselves might infect others and 31% were concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus epidemic. Contracting the virus themselves was only the fourth most common concern (18%).

Concerns about the healthcare system’s ability to treat all coronavirus patients or the government’s ability to deal with the coronavirus epidemic were less prevalent than personal concerns. About 15% of the respondents were either quite concerned or very concerned about the healthcare system’s ability to treat all coronavirus patients. Similarly, only 12% of them were concerned about the government’s ability to deal with the epidemic.

“It seems that, although there is concern about the coronavirus, the share of those who are worried about it is still relatively small. However, it is important to monitor the direction in which the situation is developing. The figures can be explained, for example, by the fact that the number of infections in Finland has remained low, and people trust that the outbreak can continue to be controlled,” said the principal researcher, Annamari Lundqvist.

One in every 10 persons of working age has experienced significant mental strain. Such mental strain was slightly more common among women than men and was also slightly more common among 18- to 50-year-olds than among people over 50.

“In the FinSote study carried out two years ago, 12% of the population were experiencing mental strain. These results suggest that, at least so far, the exceptional circumstances have not led to the spread of mental disorders among working-age people," said Research Professor Jaana Suvisaari.

"However, we do not yet know how the epidemic and the restrictive measures have affected people over 70 who are not participating in the study,” Suvisaari added.