RT Journal Article
T1 Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Peru: Psychological Distress
A1 Ruiz Frutos, Carlos
A1 Palomino Baldeón, Juan Carlos
A1 Ortega Moreno, Mónica
A1 Villavicencio Guardia, María del Carmen
A1 Dias, Adriano
A1 Bernardes, João Marcos
A1 Gómez Salgado, Juan
AB This pandemic has been classified as a “psychological pandemic” that produces anxiety,depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep disorders. As the mental health effects of theCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, continue to unfold, there are stilllarge knowledge gaps about the variables that predispose individuals to, or protect individualsagainst the disease. However, there are few publications on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic onthe mental health of citizens in Latin American countries. In this study, the effects that COVID-19had on citizens of Peru have been described. For this, 1699 questionnaires, collected between 2 Apriland 2 September 2020, were analyzed. Descriptive, bivariate analysis was performed with odds ratio(OR) calculations and a data mining methodology. Sociodemographic variables (from the GeneralHealth Questionnaire), health conditions and perception, symptoms, and variables related to contactand preventive measures regarding COVID-19 were analyzed. As compared to other countries, lessaffectation of mental health and increased use of preventive measures were observed. It has beensuggested that the country’s precarious health system and poverty rates prior to the pandemic mayjustify higher mortality figures in Peru than in other Latin American countries, despite prompt actionfor its containment and compliance with the protective measures. Psychological distress had a greaterincidence in women, young people, people without a partner, and people without university studies.The most significant conditioning variables were self-perceived health status, headache or musclepain over the past 14 days, level of studies, and age. The extensive use of preventive measures againstCOVID-19 is in line with the strict legislative measures taken, and this is, in turn, in line with othercountries when looking at the lower effect on mental health, but contrary when focusing on the highlethality identified. The need to include the economy or availability and quality of healthcare infuture studies arises, as well as the suitability to analyze the cause for differences between countries.
PB MDPI
SN 2227-9032 (electrónico)
YR 2021
FD 2021-06
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/20084
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/20084
LA eng
NO Ruiz-Frutos, C.; Palomino-Baldeón, J.C.; Ortega-Moreno, M.; Villavicencio-Guardia, M.d.C.; Dias, A.; Bernardes, J.M.; Gómez-Salgado, J. Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in Peru: Psychological Distress. Healthcare 2021, 9, 691. https://doi.org/10.3390/ healthcare9060691
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 31 may 2026