Psychological, social and economic burden of covid-19: a comparison of polish and Portuguese young adults

• Main Author: Fraczek, Sylwia
• Publication Date: 2022
• Format: Master thesis
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/18899
• topic: Covid-19; HRQoL; Mental health; Social relations; Economic situation

Background The Covid 19 pandemic outbreak has affected the entire community, and its effects relate not only to physical health but also to mental health, social relations, and the economic situation of the population all over the world. Purpose This research aims at studying the mental health, economic situation and social relations among Polish and Portuguese young adults before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study also sought to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Polish and Portuguese young adults before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Method A sample of young adults (aged 18-29) coming from Poland (n= 330) and Portugal (n= 189) filled in an online questionnaire composed of the EQ-5D-5L, some chosen questions from the SHARE Covid-19 survey and sociodemographic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, labour status and residence. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Ch-square test for qualitative variables were used to show differences between Poles and Portuguese. In addition, Student's t-test for independent samples was applied for quantitative variables. Results Almost two years since the beginning of the pandemic, Polish and Portuguese young adults reported a lower level of HRQoL in comparison to the times before the outbreak of Covid-19. Both before and during the pandemic, the Polish respondents rated their HRQoL higher than respondents from Portugal. Polish young adults rated their social and economic situation and mental health lower than their Portuguese peers. Conclusion The results indicate what factors are contributing to the worsening of the general living situation of the respondents and show that governments and health authorities should, in addition to the medical consequences of the virus, take the necessary measures to mitigate the long term consequences of the virus, as well as paying special attention to the group of young adults who, in this uncertain time, are trying to make the most important decisions for their development.