Psychological distress in people facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify negative psychological symptoms related to loss of jobs and income in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2,983 people aged 18 and over living in the state of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Google® Forms was used to deliver an online questionnaire containing open- and closed-ended questions about sociodemographic characteristics and psychological symptoms. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated for all the study variables. The Chi-squared test was used to check for association between the variables with a significance threshold of 5%. Psychological symptoms were observed in people who had lost their jobs or had their pay cut during the pandemic. Regarding the interference of social isolation with routine, 67.1% (658) of those who had lost their jobs or had their pay cut said their routine changed but they were able to adjust to the new reality (p<0.001). In addition, 67.7% (663) showed a feeling of concern in view of the difficulties arising from the pandemic (p<0.001), 57.9% (567) felt irritated by the situation they were experiencing (p<0.001), 74.2% (727) reported changes in sleep pattern (p<0.001) and 71.8% (704) reported feelings of restlessness, tension or nervousness (p<0.001). Furthermore, 50.3% (493) of the respondents reported physical symptoms without any apparent causes, whereas 41.4% (830) did not report such symptoms (p<0.001). Additionally, 52.9% (518) reported difficulty concentrating on daily activities or “blanking” while 44% (882) did not report such symptoms (p<0.001). After summing the negative feelings reported during the pandemic, we found a gradual increase in the percentage of symptoms in people who had lost their jobs or had their pay cut (p<0.001). Our findings allow an understanding of the psychosocial impact of financial losses caused by measures taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and can contribute to the development of strategies to minimize such impact.